Authoritarian turn in Lima. Peruvian President Pedro Castillo ordered the dissolution of parliament hours before it met to debate an impeachment motion announcing the establishment of an “exceptional government”.
The president declared, in a message to the nation from the government palace, his intention to “temporarily dissolve the Congress of the Republic and set up an exceptional emergency government”, as well as to “convene as soon as possible a new Congress with constituent powers” .
The Peruvian media speak openly of a coup.
The leader of Fuerza Popular, Keiko Fujimori, reacted via Twitter stating that “Pedro Castillo strikes a desperate blow because he knew he still had a few hours in power. Congress must go ahead with the dismissal and the Armed Forces must uphold the constitutional order “.
Parliament then voted to impeach the president, ignoring his decision to dissolve the legislature. The impeachment for “moral incapacity” was approved by 101 MPs out of a total of 130, in a session broadcast live on television. Parliament called Castillo’s current deputy, Dina Boluarte, to be sworn in as president.
Peru, Pedro Castillo ordered dissolution of parliament – Police outside parliament
The Police publishes and then cancels the arrest of Castillo
The national police of Peru published on its Twitter account – deleting it a few minutes later – the news of the arrest of the president. In the message on social media, the police referred to article 5 of Decree Law 1267 which empowers the police to use legitimate force to maintain order in the country and guarantee the functioning of state powers within the constitutional framework.
However, the news of Castillo’s arrest continues to circulate in the local media. The Peruvian television channel Canal N claims it: Castillo would have been taken into police custody after the vote of dismissal at the Lima Congress which met despite the president himself, in what has been defined as a self-coup, had dissolved. As the vote was taking place, Peruvian television said Castillo and his family would attempt to flee. Dina Boluarte, the vice president, is expected to be sworn in as president to replace Castillo in the next few hours, according to Canal N.
