Peru has sworn in its first female leader following the impeachment of former president Pedro Castillo.
Dina Boluarte, 60, was vice to Castillo who was impeached on Wednesday after announcing a state of emergency and the dissolution of parliament.
Following Castillo’s impeachment, Boluarte was called upon to take over leadership of the South American country. She was sworn in as president and would be in office till 2026.
She condemned her predecessor’s attempt to dissolve parliament, describing it as an attempted coup. She called for a political truce after months of instability, including two prior impeachment attempts, and said a new cabinet inclusive of all political stripes would be formed, Reuters reported.
How was Castillo impeached?
In a bid to hold on to power, a few hours to the commencement of controversial impeachment hearings, Mr Castillo took to national television to announce a state of emergency and dissolution of congress.
Paying no mind to his pronouncement, the parliament proceeded with the impeachment, the third attempt since he came into office in July 2021.
A total of 101 legislators voted in favour of removing him, six voted against and there were 10 abstentions.
Castillo’s government has had various controversies, with dozens of ministers appointed, replaced, fired or quitting their posts in little more than a year.
Following his impeachment, Castillo was arrested in Lima on his way to the Mexican embassy.
According to the BBC, photos shared by the police but later deleted showed the former president sitting, seemingly relaxed, and chatting with others.
In a statement, Peru’s public ministry said Castillo had been detained “for allegedly committing a crime against the Powers of the State and Constitutional Order.” He is yet to be formally charged.
