Castillo sacked on charges of ‘rebellion’, Dina appointed new president

In the South American country of Peru, after several hours of political uncertainty and a tussle between the legislature and the president, Vice President Dina Bolvart was finally sworn in as the country’s new president, while former president Pedro Castillo was arrested. Is. Castello tried to dissolve parliament to avoid impeachment.

Bolwart later addressed parliament and said she was assuming the presidency from today until July 26, 2026, when Castillo’s term was due to expire.

“I accept this position knowing that I have great responsibilities. My first priority will be to seek the widest possible unity among all Peruvians,” she said. He also appealed for the formation of a national coalition government for political reconciliation. Meanwhile, Castillo has been arrested for “alleged crimes of sedition” and “violation of constitutional norms”.

On Wednesday, Castillo announced the dissolution of parliament and new elections. In a televised address to the nation, he announced the imposition of curfew and said he was going to form an emergency government that would rule by decree. Castillo made the announcement on Wednesday, hours before parliament began debating an impeachment motion against him.

“Elections will be held to form a new parliament that will have the constitutional authority to draft a new constitution,” Castillo said. His announcement was interpreted as a coup d’état and the parliament voted to remove Castillo as president. He had completed barely 18 months of his five-year tenure.

After Castillo’s televised address, Peru’s parliament removed him from office. Lawmakers voted to elect a new president. Vice President Dina Bolwart received 101 votes to 6. While 10 members did not participate in voting.

Bolwart was previously a member of Castillo’s Free Peru party but was expelled from the party. Bolwart had earlier expressed disappointment over Castillo’s announcement, calling it an attempt to subvert the country’s constitution. “This is a rebellion,” he wrote on Twitter.

It was the third attempt to remove Castillo by impeachment after taking office in July 2021. Last week, he was accused in parliament of having lost the “moral justification” to govern.

Castillo hit back, calling the allegations against him “baseless and fabricated”. There are six separate investigations into allegations of corruption against Castillo. But constitutionally no action could be taken against him till he was the president of the country. Last month, thousands of people took to the streets of Peru to demand Castillo’s resignation. The United States, Chile and Mexico criticized Castillo’s attempt to dissolve parliament.