Thursday, March 28

Pedro Castillo dissolves Congress and establishes an emergency government in Peru

The president of Peru, Pedro Castillo, has decreed this Wednesday to temporarily dissolve Congress and establish a national emergency government, hours before Parliament debated a vacancy motion (removal) against him that could have removed him from the head of state . Following the announcement, Peruvian Vice President Dina Boluarte has distanced herself from the decision that she has described as a “coup d’état”. Three ministers from her cabinet have resigned from their positions and deputies from the left and the opposition demand constitutional order.

“The following measures are issued: Temporarily dissolve the Congress of the Republic and establish an exceptional emergency government,” Castillo said in a message to the nation that was not previously announced by his communications team or on his social networks.

With an evident tremor in his hands, he has announced that he also dictates “to call in the shortest possible time elections for a new Congress with constituent powers to prepare a new Constitution within a period of no more than 9 months” and has ordered a curfew. nationwide starting today from 10 p.m. (3.00 GMT on Thursday).

The Ministers of Economy, Foreign Relations and Labor have announced their resignation, a few minutes after Castillo announced the dissolution of Congress and the establishment of an “exception government”.

Through their Twitter accounts, the holders of these portfolios, Kurt Burneo, César Landa and Alejandro Salas, respectively, announced their decision to leave the Executive, alleging their “adherence to democratic” and constitutional values.

For their part, the Joint Command of the Armed Forces and the National Police have issued a statement in which they have stated that they are “respectful of the constitutional order” established in article 134 of the Political Constitution of Peru. “Any act contrary to the established constitutional order constitutes an infringement of the Constitution and generates non-compliance by the Armed Forces and National Police of Peru”, they have informed and have asked the population to remain calm.

Meanwhile, the Ombudsman’s Office has demanded the “immediate resignation and availability before the judicial authorities for non-compliance” of President Castillo’s Magna Carta and has demanded that Congress “expeditiously conduct the presidential succession procedure to ensure governability and the defense of human rights in the short term”.

Deputies from different benches in the Peruvian Congress have denounced that this announcement constitutes a coup d’état.

“This decision configures a coup d’état and distances itself from all constitutional frameworks,” declared the leftist legislator Ruth Luque, whose group has habitually supported Castillo’s permanence in power.

For her part, the progressive legislator Susel Paredes has considered that “no one owes obedience to a coup government” and has supported the presidential succession.

“Glorious Armed Forces, courageous Police of Peru. No one owes obedience to a coup government. I support Congress and start the presidential succession. With this attitude, Pedro Castillo tramples on the minimum presumption of innocence that the Constitution corresponds to”, he wrote on Twitter.

The right-wing Norma Yarrow has indicated that they will not allow “the coup d’état by Pedro Castillo.” “We are not going to allow a dictatorship in our country. Sign our Armed Forces with the National Police ”, she highlighted.





www.eldiario.es