Peru’s first female president sworn, impeached leader arrested

Peru’s first female president, Dina Boularte, was sworn in Wednesday, hours after the country’s now-former leader was arrested following his failure to shut down Congress before an impeachment vote.

Boularte, who was the vice president, called for a political truce and asked for unity after lawmakers voted to impeach Pedro Castillo.

“What I ask for is a space, a time to rescue the country,” Boularte, 60, said.

Castillo, a former school teacher who was elected by a narrow margin in July 2021, shocked the South American nation Wednesday when he announced plans to dissolve Congress and install an emergency government during a televised address from the Presidential Palace in Lima.

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His move failed to gain support, and he was impeached about two hours later due to what lawmakers called “permanent moral incapacity.”

Castillo was arrested and accused of crimes of rebellion and conspiracy for breaking the constitutional order, prosecutors said Wednesday night, according to Reuters.

Wednesday marked the third attempt by Congress to impeach the president, with the vote requiring at least 87 in favor to remove him from office. Last December, 46 lawmakers voted for impeachment, and three months later, 55 people voted to oust him.

This time, 101 people voted in favor of impeaching Castillo, with six against it.

Shortly after the vote, Boularte slammed Castillo’s move as an “attempted coup.”

With News Wire Services