A step by step of the fall of Castillo 2:12
(CNN Spanish) --
Hours of confusion and chaos were experienced in Peru this Wednesday when a day that was expected to be relatively calm ended with an attempt to dissolve Congress, the vacancy motion against President Pedro Castillo, his arrest and finally , the arrival to the Presidency of the first woman to hold this position.
The now former president Pedro Castillo is detained in Lima, while Peru tries to return to calm and the new president, Dina Boluarte, called for a "political truce" to "install a government of national unity."
This is the chronology of a day that saw the arrival in Peru of the sixth president in five years in the midst of a political chaos that seems to never stop.
These were the most notable events of this December 7 in Peru, which a day later rises in relative calm, with a new president who hopes to finish the presidential term in 2026.
11:57 am - Pedro Castillo dissolves Congress
Pedro Castillo announces closure of the Peruvian Congress and calls for elections 2:16
Around noon on Wednesday, December 7, President Pedro Castillo announced the temporary dissolution of Congress through a message broadcast on national television.
The president also said that he would call elections for a Constituent Assembly and that it would be governed by decree law.
And finally, he imposed a curfew that would take effect from midnight on Wednesday.
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The announcement came hours before Castillo was scheduled to appear before Congress to defend himself against his third vacancy motion process.
12:06 pm — The massive resignation of Castillo's ministers begins
As soon as Castillo's announcement was made public, several Cabinet ministers announced through social networks that they were leaving their posts.
At that time, at least five of his ministers resigned in a period of about thirty minutes.
The ministers of Economy and Finance, of Labor, of Justice and Human Rights, of Foreign Relations and of the Environment resigned at first.
Later, the Minister of Culture, Silvia Robles, joined the resignations.
12:25 pm — Congress convenes plenary
Through his Twitter account, Congress called a plenary session for 12:30 pm, to discuss the issue of the vacancy motion against Castillo.
Originally, this meeting was expected to take place around 3 pm, and a possible vote, towards the end of the afternoon or late at night.
12:32 pm - The Attorney General of Peru asks to respect the rule of law
The attorney general, Patricia Benavides, spoke after Castillo's announcement to dissolve Congress and asked to respect the rule of law and the Peruvian Constitution.
1:10 pm — Vice President Boluarte breaks ties with Castillo and says there is a "coup"
The vice president of Peru, Dina Boluarte, rejected President Castillo's decision to dissolve Congress and accused him of "perpetrating the breakdown of the constitutional order" with that measure.
Baluarte described the action as a "coup d'état".
"I reject Pedro Castillo's decision to break the constitutional order with the closure of Congress. It is a coup d'état that aggravates the political and institutional crisis that Peruvian society will have to overcome with strict adherence to the law," he wrote. on his verified Twitter account.
1:32 pm — The armed forces support Castillo's measure
The Peruvian Armed Forces issued a joint statement in which they urged the population to "remain calm" and trust in the country's institutions.
They said that they are "respectful of the constitutional order" and of the political Constitution that grants the president the right to dissolve Congress.
1:49 pm — Congress removes Pedro Castillo
The Congress of Peru approved the vacancy motion against Pedro Castillo 1:48
In a vote that was planned to take place at night, after President Castillo addressed the plenary session of Congress, the Legislature advanced the procedure and, in a majority vote of 101 votes in favor of 130, voted for in favor of the constitutional vacancy motion against President Pedro Castillo.
For this measure to be approved, 87 votes were needed.
This was the third attempted vacancy motion against Castillo.
Two other similar measures had been carried out in November 2021 and March 2022, without success.
2:01 — The Summit of the Pacific Alliance is postponed
Hours after Castillo's announcement, Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said that the Pacific Alliance Summit scheduled for December 14 is being postponed.
The summit would take place in Lima.
2:54 pm — Former President Pedro Castillo is arrested
President Castillo was detained in the prefecture of Lima, a source with knowledge of the case told CNN.
The Public Ministry reported that Castillo was arrested for the "alleged crime of rebellion, regulated in article 346 of the Penal Code, for violating the constitutional order."
Former Peruvian President Pedro Castillo (C) is seen inside a police car as he leaves the Prefecture of Lima, where he was being held, in Lima on December 7, 2022. (Photo by RENATO PAJUELO/AFP via Getty Images)
3:00 pm — Foci of demonstrations are registered
As Peru plunged into a new political crisis, some demonstrators protested in Lima against Castillo's arrest.
Images released by Getty show a strong police operation in the prefecture of Lima and some protesters clashing with police officers.
Supporters of former Peruvian President Pedro Castillo clash with police to reach the Lima Prefecture, where Castillo is being held, in Lima, on December 7, 2022. (Credit: ERNESTO BENAVIDES/AFP via Getty)
Supporters of former Peruvian President Pedro Castillo clash with police to reach the Lima Prefecture, where Castillo is being held, in Lima, on December 7, 2022. (Credit: ERNESTO BENAVIDES/AFP via Getty)
3:52 pm - Dina Boluarte is sworn in as the president of Peru
Vice President Dina Boluarte took office as president of Peru before Congress, after a vacancy motion was approved against former president Pedro Castillo.
Boluarte is the first woman to reach this position in Peru.
She is expected to complete her term until July 2026. She is the sixth president of Peru in a span of five years.
Boluarte, who until a few hours ago had been the vice president of the country, took office replacing Castillo after being sworn in before the plenary session of Congress.
The first woman president of Peru was sworn in after the arrest of Pedro Castillo.
This is how Dina Boluarte was sworn in as president of Peru 1:40
4:04 pm — Boluarte calls for a "political truce" to form a government of national unity
In her first speech as president of Peru, Dina Boluarte called this Wednesday for the "broadest unity of all Peruvians" after a years-long crisis.
The recently inaugurated president asked for a term "to rescue our country from corruption and misrule."
"My first measure is to confront corruption, in all dimensions," Boluarte said.
"I have seen with revulsion how the press and judicial bodies have reported shameful acts of robbery against the money of all Peruvians, this cancer must be rooted out."
4:41 pm - Public Ministry announces that Castillo will be prosecuted for "rebellion"
After Boluarte's inauguration as president of Peru, little by little more details about Castillo's status became known.
The Prosecutor's Office said that the former president would be prosecuted for the crime of rebellion, "regulated in article 346 of the Penal Code, for violating the constitutional order."
The statement was accompanied by a photograph in which Castillo was seen in the arrest procedure with the Attorney General of Peru, Patricia Benavides Vargas.
Later, the Public Ministry said that it would also initiate judicial proceedings against Castillo for the "alleged commission of crimes against the Powers of the State and the Constitutional Order, in the form of conspiracy."
5:42 pm — Boluarte meets with the president of the Constitutional Court of Peru
In a sign of a return to calm and the separation of state powers, the new president Dina Boluarte met with the president of the Constitutional Court, Francisco Morales, at the Government Palace.
"It is time to work in unity," said the president to the representative of the judiciary.
The Head of State, @DinaErcilia Boluarte, received the President of the Constitutional Court, Francisco Morales, at the Government Palace.
🔴 Watch broadcast: https://t.co/Yn1RPX9gY4
– Presidency of Peru 🇵🇪 (@presidenciaperu) December 7, 2022
5:54 pm — The constitutional order of Peru is restored
The Presidency of Peru sent a message on social networks announcing that the country's constitutional order had been restored, so that the curfew decreed by then-President Pedro Castillo, around noon, would not come into effect.
#PresidencyInforms |
Having restored the constitutional order, the illegally decreed curfew has no effect.
🇵🇪 Peru can't stop!
– Presidency of Peru 🇵🇪 (@presidenciaperu) December 7, 2022
Dina BoluartePedro Castillo
