Peru's president moves to dissolve Congress ahead of impeachment vote


Peruvian President Pedro Castillo will dissolve Congress and install an emergency government to rule by decree, he announced Wednesday, just hours before a scheduled impeachment vote.
"We have taken the decision to establish a government of exception, to reestablish the rule of law and democracy to which effect the following measures are dictated: to dissolve Congress temporarily, to install a government of exceptional emergency, to call to the shortest term possible to elections for a new Congress with the ability to draft a new Constitution," Castillo said, per The New York Times.
Castillo also imposed a national curfew and urged citizens to turn in any illegal firearms, the Times and The Wall Street Journal add. Several members of his administration resigned in the wake of the announcement, including the minister of foreign affairs, who accused the president of "violating the Constitution."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Peruvian Congress had scheduled its third impeachment vote against Castillo for Wednesday afternoon; proceedings look set to nonetheless move forward, Reuters reports. Omar Cairo, a constitutional lawyer who has expressed sympathy for Castillo and believes the impeachment vote unlawful, told the Times: "Congress is still contemptible, but what Castillo has done is a manifest coup d'état." The dissolution is "completely illegal," political analyst Andrea Moncada told Bloomberg.
This isn't Peru's first brush with political turmoil — in 2020, for example, President Martin Vizcarra was impeached after dissolving Congress, Reuters adds.
"We strongly urge President Castillo to reverse his attempt to close Congress and allow Peru's democratic institutions to function as outlined in Peru's constitution," said Brian Nichols, a top U.S. diplomat with a focus on Latin America.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brigid Kennedy worked at The Week from 2021 to 2023 as a staff writer, junior editor and then story editor, with an interest in U.S. politics, the economy and the music industry.
-
Colleges are canceling affinity graduations amid DEI attacks but students are pressing on
In the Spotlight The commencement at Harvard University was in the news, but other colleges are also taking action
-
When did computer passwords become a thing?
The Explainer People have been racking their brains for good codes for longer than you might think
-
What to know before 'buying the dip'
the explainer Purchasing a stock once it has fallen in value can pay off — or cost you big
-
White House tackles fake citations in MAHA report
speed read A federal government public health report spearheaded by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was rife with false citations
-
Judge blocks push to bar Harvard foreign students
speed read Judge Allison Burroughs sided with Harvard against the Trump administration's attempt to block the admittance of international students
-
Trump's trade war whipsawed by court rulings
Speed Read A series of court rulings over Trump's tariffs renders the future of US trade policy uncertain
-
Elon Musk departs Trump administration
speed read The former DOGE head says he is ending his government work to spend more time on his companies
-
Trump taps ex-personal lawyer for appeals court
speed read The president has nominated Emil Bove, his former criminal defense lawyer, to be a federal judge
-
US trade court nullifies Trump's biggest tariffs
speed read The US Court of International Trade says Trump exceeded his authority in imposing global tariffs
-
Trump pauses all new foreign student visas
speed read The State Department has stopped scheduling interviews with those seeking student visas in preparation for scrutiny of applicants' social media
-
Trump pardons Virginia sheriff convicted of bribery
speed read Former sheriff Scott Jenkins was sentenced to 10 years in prison on federal bribery and fraud charges