Photo: Sebastian Castañeda – Pool / Getty Images
By: The Opinion Updated 14 Dec 2022, 14: 80 pm EST
The ousted president of Peru, Pedro Castillo, was arrested this Wednesday and is at the prefectural headquarters de Lima, shortly after being dismissed by Congress and being accused by the majority of having attempted to carry out a coup d’état
It was around noon, in a message to the nation, that Pedro Castillo ordered 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 of the Head of State.
“The following measures are issued: Temporarily dissolve the Congress of the Republic and establish an exceptional emergency government”, Castillo said in the message to the nation.
“It is declared in reorganization of the judicial system, the Power J court, the Public Ministry, the National Board of Justice (JNJ) and the Constitutional Court (TC)”, he added.
After the announcement, The United States rejected the attempt by Pedro Castillo to dissolve Congress and called on the Peruvian population to “remain calm” in the face of the uncertainty unleashed in the country.
“The United States categorically rejects any extra-constitutional act of President Castillo to prevent Congress from fulfilling its mandate,” the US Embassy in Lima said in a statement.
For his part, Foreign Minister Mexican, Marcelo Ebrard, announced the postponement of the Summit of the Pacific Alliance
scheduled for next Wednesday in Lima, due to “the latest events” in Peru.
“Given the latest events in Peru, it has been agreed to postpone the Summit of the Alliance of Pacific that would be verified next 14 of December in the City of Lima . I will keep you informed,” said the Secretary of Foreign Affairs of Mexico, a country that was to hand over the temporary presidency of the trade bloc to Peru.
Meanwhile President Pedro Castillo, left the Government Palace of Lima, accompanied by his relatives
and without offering statements to the media, with an unknown destination and where minutes later his arrest was reported.
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