- Shortly after 3pm Lima time on December 7, Dina Boluarte was sworn in as Peru’s first female president.
- Just an hour earlier, President Castillo ceased to be president following his decision to dissolve Congress and call for new elections, leading up to his detention just moments ago. The fact that events evolved so quickly is a testament to the fact that when push came to shove, Peru’s institutional framework worked.
- The next step should be that Ms. Boluarte designates a new cabinet. If reasonable members are appointed, there is a good chance that the political horizon will be much more stable than that of the past 16 months.
Shortly after 3pm Lima time on December 7, Dina Boluarte was sworn in as Peru’s first female president. Just an hour earlier, President Castillo ceased to be president when Congress voted for his impeachment (“vacancy” in local legal lingo). The vote was 101 in favour of impeachment, with only six against and ten abstentions.
Only two hours earlier, at mid-day, President Castillo had announced his decision to dissolve Congress and call for new congressional elections. He had also announced that the Judicial system and the Attorney General’s office would be restructured.
The decision to close Congress left President Castillo and members of cabinet open to legal accusations. Whether in response to this risk or out of principle, a large number of cabinet members resigned, including head of Cabinet Betssy Chávez, Minister of Finance Kurt Burneo, Minister of Foreign Affairs César Landa, and Minister of Culture Alejandro Salas, who had been a notorious defender of, and spokesperson for, President Castillo. President Castillo’s legal council also resigned.
In parallel, in just two hours, nearly every key institution and leadership figure in the country had turned against President Castillo. Most notably, among the institutions that took a stance against the attempted coup, were the reported decisions by both the police and the armed forces to back Congress in the conflict.
Shortly before the Congressional 2pm impeachment vote, President Castillo and his family were seen abandoning government palace. Their vehicle was stopped a few blocks away, and President Castillo was detained.
The fact that events evolved so quickly is a testament to the fact that when push came to shove, Peru’s institutional framework worked.
The next step should be that Ms. Boluarte designates a new cabinet. This will be crucial, as the profiles of the new cabinet members will give us a much clearer idea of what kind of government Dina Boluarte will conduct. It will also give us an idea of the type of relationship that Dina Boluarte will be seeking with Congress. Dina Boluarte is a 60 year-old lawyer that was elected Vice-President as part of the Perú Libre party, being in its ranks from 2018 to 2022. She has become estranged from the radical leadership of the Perú Libre party since being elected and is viewed as a moderate leftist.
There is still much to be determined. However, one could say that a regime change has occurred. The acts of institutional tampering during the Castillo Regime will be dismantled. Dina Boluarte is likely to continue to behave left of center, but is not likely to have close links to the radical left. If reasonable members of the cabinet are appointed, there is a good chance that the political horizon will be much more stable than that of the past 16 months. We will also look closely at who will be appointed at the Ministry of Finance and at the Ministry of Mining. If all goes well, a significant part of the political turbulence veil that has done significant damage to business confidence, may be finally lifted.
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