The president of Peru, Pedro Castillo, announced on Wednesday during a speech to the nation the dissolution of Congress and the call for new legislative elections hours before facing his third motion of censure.
Castillo made the announcement in a speech to the nation in which he also specified that there will be a curfew in the country from 10 p.m. (local time) until 4 a.m., as reported by the newspaper ‘La Republica’.
«In response to citizens’ demands throughout the country, we have decided to establish a government of exception aimed at establishing the rule of law and democracy, to which effect the following measures are dictated: temporarily dissolve the Congress of the Republic and establish a government of exceptional emergency,» he announced.
The Peruvian president also declared that all those citizens in possession of illegal «weapons» must hand them over to the National Police within a maximum period of 72 hours. He also added during his speech that the justice system will be reorganized, as reported by the newspaper ‘El Comercio’.
In another moment of his speech, President Castillo stressed that the security forces will have all the necessary means to fight crime, corruption and drug trafficking, and that he will inform the Organization of American States (OAS) of the decision he has taken.
REACTIONS As a consequence of this announcement, some of the members of his cabinet have already resigned, such as the Minister of Labor, Alejandro Salas; the Minister of Education, Rosendo Serna; and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, César Landa, who has accused Castillo of having «violated» the Constitution by closing the Congress.
«I strongly condemn this self-coup d’état and call on the international community to help put democracy back on track in Peru. Castillo made this decision without my knowledge or support,» Landa remarked on Twitter.
The Peruvian ambassador to the United Nations, Manuel Rodríguez Cuadros, who has resigned from his post «due to the coup d’état in Peru», or the Minister of Justice, Felix Chero Medina, who «respectful of the institutionality», has left his post «irrevocably».
«Having violated the rule of law and in line with my democratic principles, I irrevocably resign from the post of Minister of Economy and Finance», announced Kurt Burneo.
The one who was until a few months ago president of Congress, Maria del Carmen Alva, has taken to social networks to denounce the «coup d’état» of a Castillo whom she has described as «corrupt», while calling on the Armed Forces and the Police to defend democracy and assume their constitutional role. «We Peruvians will not allow them to steal our freedom!» he wrote.
