Peruvian politician Dina Boluarte has been sworn in as interim president, hours after Pedro Castillo was removed in an impeachment trial and arrested during a day of high political drama in the Andean nation.
Boluarte, elevated from vice president, becomes Peru’s first-ever female president, following Castillo’s attempt on Wednesday to dissolve the legislature by decree to avoid the impeachment vote, which sparked a wave of resignations by ministers and criticism from allies.
Boluarte, 60, said during a session of Congress that she was taking office “in accordance with the Constitution of Peru, from now until July 26, 2026”. That’s when Castillo’s term would have ended.
Earlier, Castillo dissolved the nation’s Congress and called for new legislative elections, but Congress rejected the decree and voted to replace him with the vice president.
In a televised message to the nation, the embattled leader announced he was “temporarily dissolving Congress… and installing an exceptional emergency government.”
“In response to the clamour from citizens throughout the country, we make the decision to establish an emergency government aimed at restoring the rule of law and democracy,” Castillo said in a speech.
He said he would convene a new Congress “as soon as possible to draft a new Constitution within a period of no more than nine months.”
“From this date and until the new Congress is established, the country will be governed by executive order. A national curfew is decreed as of today from 10:00 pm to 4:00 am,” said the president, wearing a blue suit and presidential sash.
He also declared the “reorganisation of the justice system, the judiciary power of the public ministry, the national board of justice and the constitutional court.”
The announcement came several hours before Congress was to debate its third impeachment motion against Castillo since his election in July 2021.
