Peru’s Ex-President Arrested over Attempt to Dissolve Congress

In a remarkable turn of events, Pedro Castillo, who was president less than 24 hours ago, is now being held by police and is likely to face charges of insurrection.

He made the announcement that the legislative body will be dissolved in the face of an impeachment vote by the opposition-controlled Congress.

His bodyguards prevented him from seeking asylum at an embassy despite the fact that Congress disobeyed him and decisively removed him from office.

Congress swore in Dina Boluarte as the new president just hours after impeaching Mr. Castillo.

For the first time ever, a woman is in charge of Peru. She declared that she would lead the country until July 2026, when Mr. Castillo's mandate would have ended.

Despite being Mr. Castillo's running mate in the 2021 election that put them in power, Ms. Boluarte promptly severed ties with him on Wednesday when he threatened to dissolve Congress, a move she called a "attempted coup."

She spoke after being sworn in, urging Peruvians to unite for "national unity" and requesting a "truce" so she could fight corruption.

Her predecessor had already been taken into custody by law enforcement before she took the oath of office.

Many of his allies swiftly turned on him after his anxiously made television declaration, which was plainly shaking in his hands.

Within minutes, other ministers, including the defense minister, submitted their resignations. A unified statement from the police and the military forces reaffirmed their commitment to upholding the constitution.

Mr. Castillo and his family stepped outside the presidential mansion and boarded an SUV. According to a police report, he was en route to the Mexican embassy in Lima, likely to request political asylum.

But, according to a report in the Peruvian newspaper El Comercio, senior police officers ordered the security guard driving the car to halt.

The attorney general of Peru then detained Mr. Castillo on charges of insurrection after leading him into police property.

According to media sources, Mr. Castillo has subsequently been transferred to the branch's headquarters for special operations inside the police.

Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard declined to comment when asked if Mexico had received a request for asylum from Mr. Castillo, but he did note that his nation had a history of granting shelter to persons under "political persecution."

Evo Morales, the former president of Bolivia, applied for refuge there in 2019 not long after ceding office.

However, Mr. Castillo is unlikely to be let to depart Peru given that the attorney general's office is already looking into him for alleged insurrection.

Investigators were observed removing boxes from the presidential palace and many ministries overnight, as the attorney general's office claimed to be gathering evidence.