Peru's Ousted President Pedro Castillo Appears in Court After Attempting To Dissolve Congress

Peru's ousted President Pedro Castillo appears in court to face rebellion charges after he attempted to dissolve the nation's Congress in what was seen as a form of political suicide that led to some of the country's darkest days in its anti-democratic past.

During Castillo's Thursday court appearance, a judge ordered the ousted leader, who was held in the same prison in Lima where Alberto Fujimori has been kept locked up for the past three decades, to face his charges.

Peru's Ousted Leader

The 53-year-old former strongman simply looked down in the courtroom and gave simple "yes" or "no" answers whenever he was asked by the judge. Many citizens of Peru took Castillo's ouster in stride, leaving the streets of downtown Lima calm as people went about their daily lives.

However, later in the day, a few hundred supporters of the ousted leader marched peacefully through the capital. On the other hand, Castillo's successor, Dina Boluarte, began the difficult task of rallying Peru's citizens behind institutions gutted for years by endemic corruption and mistrust, as per the Associated Press.

The new president, who is a Marxist lawyer and served as Castillo's vice president, is the first woman to lead the South American country and the only one who is fluent in Quechua, the Indigenous language that is spoken by the country's poorer community.

Nationwide polls also showed Peru's people despised Congress even more than they do the former leader. This comes as Boluarte appealed for a "truce" from the political feuding that has paralyzed the nation for several years.

According to CNN, the situation began when Castillo announced plans to dissolve Congress and install an emergency government. His decision was a result of a looming impeachment vote by lawmakers. The country's Ombudsman described the ousted leader's plans as an "attempted coup d'etat."

Rocky Political Environment

Castillo also called for parliamentary elections to work on a new Constitution for the country's government. The move forced a series of cabinet resignations, angry reactions from several top officials, and condemnation from regional neighbors. Ultimately, the former president's plans failed to prevent his impeachment in Congress.

Furthermore, Peruvian armed forces rejected the ousted leader's attempt to sideline lawmakers, calling his attempt an "infringement of the Constitution." Boluarte herself condemned her predecessor's dissolution plan, posting on Twitter that she considered it something that aggravates the political and institutional crisis that the country's society will need to face.

On top of local lawmakers, international officials expressed similar stances in condemnation of Castillo. The United States also urged the ousted leader to "reverse" the move and "allow Peru's democratic institutions to function according to the Constitution."

After Castillo's impeachment, he was seen on police premises, and photos shared by law enforcement on Twitter showed the ousted leader sitting, seemingly relaxed, and chatting with others. After initial photos were deleted, subsequent footage showed Castillo signing papers with prosecutors.

The situation comes as Peru has been suffering from an unstable political environment, having multiple presidents ousted from office in the last few years. The country had three presidents within the space of five days in 2020, BBC reported.