(BBC News) Peru’s government has declared a nationwide state of emergency amid a political crisis triggered by the attempted dissolution of Congress by President Pedro Castillo and his subsequent impeachment.
Soldiers are being deployed to help police rein in violent protests by supporters of the ousted president.
Several protesters have died in clashes with the police, and a number of airports and roads were temporarily blocked.
In recent years, Peru has seen a series of presidents ousted and a number of ex-presidents sent to prison for crimes committed during their time in office.
In one memorable week in 2020, the country had three presidents in the space of only five days.
But even by Peru’s standards, what happened on Dec. 7 was jaw-dropping both for the speed with which events unfolded and their consequences.
In a surprise televised address to the nation, Castillo declared a state of emergency across Peru. He said he was dissolving Congress and replacing it with an “exceptional emergency government.”
Castillo said the move was aimed at “re-establishing the rule of law and democracy.”
The move was met with shock. The head of the constitutional court accused Castillo of launching a coup d’etat.
Many of his ministers, including the defence minister, resigned on the spot and his Vice-President, Dina Boluarte, denounced the dissolution of Congress on Twitter.
The police and the armed forces issued a joint statement saying they backed the constitution.
Congress defied Castillo and called an emergency meeting at which they voted overwhelmingly to impeach him.
Castillo had been facing an impeachment vote in Congress on Dec. 7 before he took to the airwaves.
As two previous attempts to impeach him had failed to get the necessary votes, most commentators and analysts predicted he would survive this attempt to unseat him as well.
After all, two-thirds of members of Congress would have to vote in favour of impeachment for him to be removed from office.
And while Peru’s Congress is dominated by parties opposed to Castillo, it is also made up of many small parties that do not often agree.
Add to that that the charge of “moral incapacity” against Castillo was a rather vague one, and it seemed likely that the president would be able to fend off the impeachment attempt.
Castillo, 53, has had a rocky presidency from the start. A left-wing former schoolteacher, he was elected by a narrow margin in June 2021, beating his right-wing rival Keiko Fujimori.
With little political experience and lacking the connections and influence of his rival, he faced a hostile Congress, which made it very difficult for him to govern.
His cabinet underwent constant change and, during his 17 months in office, he had five prime ministers.
His presidency was also overshadowed by allegations of corruption, which he said were part of a “political persecution.”
When Castillo read out his statements, he appeared nervous, and his hands were shaking.
One of his closest advisers told Spanish daily El País that he knew nothing about Castillo’s plan to dissolve Congress.
Some think he may have been influenced by Aníbal Torres, who served as his prime minister from February until his resignation on Nov. 24.
Torres, a lawyer, was present when Castillo announced he was dissolving parliament and when Castillo was later detained.
One theory being put forward is that Castillo – whose approval rating with the Peruvian public was low, but higher than that of the even more unpopular Congress – was encouraged to take the drastic step of ruling by decree in the hope that Peruvians would prefer his government of emergency to the elected, but divided Congress.
Torres is now under investigation along with Castillo for alleged rebellion and has gone on the run.
Congress defied Castillo and brought its impeachment vote forward by a few hours.
Lawmakers quickly and overwhelmingly voted in favour of impeaching the president by 101 in favour, six against, and 10 abstentions.
They summoned Boluarte and swiftly swore her in as the new president.
Castillo and his family left the presidential palace and headed to the Mexican embassy, where they planned to ask for political asylum.
On his way there, his own police bodyguards stopped the car and, on the orders of their superiors, took Castillo to police premises.
There, he was detained by the attorney-general. He has since been put in pre-trial detention while he is under investigation for alleged rebellion.
Many condemned Castillo’s attempt to dissolve Congress and described the move as “autocratic”.
They compared it to the 1992 “autogolpe”, the Spanish word meaning “self-coup”, which is used to describe the actions of President Alberto Fujimori, who successfully dissolved Congress and the judiciary with the backing of the military.
While there was widespread relief that Castillo had not succeeded, there is also unease about what will happen next.
Discontent with Congress remains pervasive, and there have been violent protests in which demonstrators have called for fresh general elections.
Supporters of Castillo have taken to the streets to demand his release.
Peru remains deeply mired in a political quagmire. When she was sworn in as president, Boluarte said she would serve out Castillo’s term in office, which was due to end in July 2026.
Five days later, on Dec. 12, Boluarte proposed bringing elections forward by two years to April 2024.
On Dec. 14, she suggested holding the election even earlier, in December 2023.
Her priority will be to quell the protests that have erupted since she assumed power. On 14 Dec. 14, the defence minister declared a 30-day state of emergency.
However, anger among the supporters of Castillo is likely to escalate with every protester that is killed in clashes with the security forces.
Meanwhile, those who cannot move freely and whose work is affected by the protests are becoming increasingly impatient.
With discontent growing, Boluarte is unlikely to be given the space and time to unite the country that she had asked Peruvians to grant her when she was sworn in.
