| 2022 Peruvian self-coup attempt | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the 2017–present Peruvian political crisis | |||
| Date | 7 December 2022 | ||
| Location |
Lima, Peru
| ||
| Resulted in | Coup failure
| ||
| Parties | |||
| |||
| Lead figures | |||
|
| |||
On 7 December 2022, President of Peru Pedro Castillo attempted to dissolve Congress in the face of imminent impeachment proceedings by the legislative body, immediately enacting a curfew, establishing an emergency government and calling for a constituent assembly.[1][2] The act was recognized by politicians, the Constitutional Court of Peru and media as a coup d'état, with some comparing it to the autogolpeofAlberto Fujimori during the 1992 Peruvian self-coup d'état.[3][4][5] Numerous members of Castillo's government resigned from their positions shortly after he announced the dissolution of Congress, and the Peruvian Armed Forces also refused to support his actions.[5][6]
Castillo was impeached on the same day, and ceased to be president after the Constitutional Court rejected his dissolution of Congress.[7][8][9] Castillo's vice president Dina Boluarte was sworn in as the new president later in the day.[10]
During the presidencies of Ollanta Humala, Pedro Pablo Kuczynski and Martín Vizcarra, the right-wing Congress led by the daughter of the former Peruvian dictator Alberto Fujimori, Keiko Fujimori, obstructed much of the actions performed by the presidents.[11][12] The political legacy of the Fujimori family was assumed by Keiko after her father Alberto, who instituted Plan Verde and oversaw the Grupo Colina death squad during the internal conflict in Peru, was sentenced to prison for human rights abuses.[13][14][15][16]
President Humala would go on to serve a weak presidency due to the obstructionist practices of Congress.[11] After losing the 2016 presidential election to Kuczynski, Keiko Fujimori led her party Popular Force in the unicameral Congress, with the right-wing legislators obstructing efforts by President Kuczynski.[12] In the 2020 Peruvian parliamentary election, Popular force was reduced to sixth place and 15 seats out of 130, then went up to second place and 24 seats in the 2021 Peruvian general election.
In the Constitution of Peru, the executive branch can dissolve congress after a second vote of no-confidence.[17][18] Under former president Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, Congress held a no-confidence vote on 15 September 2017, resulting in the collapse of his cabinet,[19] the first vote of no-confidence by the current congressional body.[17] President Kuczynski would later face impeachment in December 2017 and March 2018 due to his admitted involvement with Odebrecht during the Operation Car Wash scandal.[20] Following the release of the Kenjivideos reportedly showing Kuczynski making deals with opposition politicians in order to avoid impeachment votes, President Kuczynski resigned.[21]
Martín Vizcarra, Kuczynski's first vice president, then assumed office in March 2018. President Vizcarra enacted a constitutional process on 29 May 2019 that would create a motion of no confidence towards Congress if they refused to cooperate with his proposed actions against corruption.[22] For the next four months, Congress delayed bills targeting corruption and postponed general elections proposed by Vizcarra.[18] On 30 September 2019, the President of the Council of Ministers, Salvador del Solar, set forth a vote of confidence before the Congress for refusing to pass a bill that modified the election process of judges of the Constitutional Court. The vote of confidence sought to stop the election of magistrates, modify the Organic Law of the Constitutional Court and the designation of the tribunes. However, the Plenary Session of Congress decided to continue with the election of magistrates, and ignored the vote of confidence presented by Del Solar, naming a new member to the Constitutional Court.[23] Many of the Constitutional Court nominees selected by Congress were alleged to be involved in corruption.[24] Notwithstanding the affirmative vote, Vizcarra stated that the appointment of a new member of the Constitutional Court and an ignoring of the confidence motion constituted a de facto vote of no confidence in the government, which would be the second of the legislative term.[23] These actions by Congress, as well as the months of slow progress towards anti-corruption reforms, pushed Vizcarra to dissolve the legislative body on 30 September, with Vizcarra stating "Peruvian people, we have done all we could."[23] Shortly after Vizcarra announced the dissolution of Congress, the legislative body refused to recognize the president's actions, declared Vizcarra as suspended from the presidency, and named Vice President Mercedes Aráoz as the interim president, moves that were largely seen as null and void.[23] By the night of 30 September, Peruvians gathered outside of the Legislative Palace to protest against Congress and demand the removal of legislators[23] while the heads of the Armed Forces met with Vizcarra, announcing that they still recognized him as president and head of the armed forces.[25] On 14 January 2020, the Constitutional Court ruled that the dissolution of Congress by Vizcarra under the given rationale was legal.[26] Snap legislative elections were held on 26 January, with Keiko Fujimori's Popular Force party losing its majority in Conress and most of its seats.
Months later, amid the COVID-19 pandemic in Peru, President Vizcarra was impeached in September 2020 though not removed, later being controversially removed from office a month later. Thousands of citizens then gathered in protests against Vizcarra's impeachment.[27] Manuel Merino, who succeeded him as president the following day, resigned on 15 November.[28] Francisco Sagasti was made President of Congress on 16 November and thus succeeded Merino as president on 17 November per the presidential line of succession, since both vice presidential positions were vacated by Vizcarra in 2018 and Mercedes Aráoz in May 2020.[29][30]
Sagasti served as president until Castillo was elected in the 2021 general election, with Keiko Fujimori losing her third consecutive presidential bid. The 2021 election saw the emergence of many far-right candidates,[31] with the right-wing elite, business groups and the majority of media organizations in Peru collaborating with Fujimori's campaign by appealing to fear when discussing political opponents.[32][33][34] Some broadcast television channels openly supported Fujimori's candidacy as well.[34] Reuters wrote that El Comercio, one of the largest media organizations in South America, "has generally backed Fujimori".[35]
The election will be flipped, dear friends.
—Keiko Fujimori[36]
Multiple attempts to prevent Castillo from the entering the office of the presidency or to later remove him occurred, beginning shortly after election results were determined. Following reports of Castillo's apparent victory, Fujimori and her supporters made unsubstantiated claims of electoral fraud, leading obstructionist efforts to overturn the election with support of wealthy citizens of Lima.[37][38][36][39][40][41] The economic and political elites refused to recognize Castillo's ascent to the presidency,[31] with those among the more affluent, including former military officers and wealthy families, demanded new elections, promoted calls for a military coup, and utilized classistorracist rhetoric to support their allegations of fraud.[38]
In October 2021, the website El Foco released recordings revealing that leaders of the manufacturing employers' organization National Society of Industries, the leader of the Union of Multimodal Transport Guilds of Peru (UGTRANM), Geovani Rafael Diez Villegas, political leaders, and other business executives planned various actions, including funding transportation strikes in November 2021, to destabilize the Castillo government and prompt his removal.[42][43] Far-right groups of former soldiers also allied with political parties like Go on Country – Social Integration Party, Popular Force, and Popular Renewal in an effort to remove Castillo, with some veteran leaders seen directly with Rafael López Aliaga and Castillo's former presidential challenger Keiko Fujimori, who signed the Madrid Charter promoted by the Spanish far-right political party Vox.[43] These groups directed threats towards Castillo government officials and journalists, whilst also calling for a coup d'état and insurgency.[43]
Congress is dominated by right-wing parties opposed to Castillo,[44] whom they attempted to impeach multiple times using political avenues. Due to broadly interpreted impeachment wording in the Constitution of Peru (1993), Congress can impeach the president on the vague grounds of "moral incapacity",[45] effectively making the legislature more powerful than the executive branch.[46][47][48][49]
In November 2021, four months into Castillo's term, Fujimori announced that her party was pushing forward impeachment proceedings, arguing that Castillo was "morally unfit for office".[50] On 25 November, 28 legislators from Fujimori's party presented a signed motion of impeachment to Congress, setting up a vote for opening impeachment proceedings.[51] The impeachment proceeding did not occur, as 76 voted against proceedings, 46 were in favor, and 4 abstained, with the requirement of 52 favoring proceedings not met.[52]
In February 2022, it was reported that Fujimorists and politicians close to Fujimori organized a meeting at the Casa Andina hotel in Lima with the assistance of the German liberal group Friedrich Naumann Foundation, with those present including President of Congress Maricarmen Alva, at which plans to remove Castillo from office were discussed.[53] Alva had already shared her readiness to assume the presidency if Castillo were to be vacated from the position and a leaked Telegram group chat of the board of directors of Congress that she heads revealed plans coordinated to oust Castillo.[54][55]
A second impeachment attempt related to corruption allegations did make it to proceedings in March 2022.[56] On 28 March 2022, Castillo appeared before Congress calling the allegations baseless and for legislators to "vote for democracy" and "against instability", with 55 voting for impeachment, 54 voting against, and 19 abstaining, thus failing to reach the 87 votes necessary.[56][57]
Public approval of Castillo has steadily declined as his presidency progressed and protests occurred in early 2022 as a result of increasing prices with crises surrounding the president arising steadily.[58][59][60] By December 2022, Congress had begun motions to attempt the impeachment of Castillo for a third time; he was involved with six different criminal investigations and had already named five separate cabinets to serve under him.[60]
On 5 December 2022, just days before Congress was set to vote on impeaching Castillo, a constitutional complaint was filed by the Subcommittee on Constitutional Accusations against Vice President Dina Boluarte, alleging that she operated a private club while she was the Minister of Development.[61] The allegations against Boluarte created the potential for the vice president to face controversy if Castillo were to be impeached.[61]
On 7 December 2022, Congress was expected to file a motion of censure against Castillo, accusing him of "permanent moral incapacity".[1] Before the legislative body could gather to file its motion, Castillo announced the dissolution of Congress and enacted an immediate curfew.[1][62] In his speech, Castillo stated:[2]
The following measures are dictated: temporarily dissolve the Congress of the Republic and establish an exceptional emergency government. Elections will be called for a new Congress with constituent powers to draft a new Constitution within no more than nine months, ... Congress without evidence accuses the president of crimes ... Congress has broken the balance of powers and the rule of law to establish a congressional dictatorship with the endorsement, as they themselves state, of the Constitutional Court.
Castillo then denounced the media opposed to him and called on individuals possessing illegal weapons to deliver them to the National Police within 72 hours.[2]
Moments after Castillo's speech, multiple ministers resigned from his government, including Prime Minister Betssy Chávez,[63] Minister of Labor Alejandro Salas [es], Minister of the Economy Kurt Burneo, Minister of Foreign Relations César Landa and Minister of Justice Félix Chero [es].[2] Peru's permanent representatives to the United Nations and to the Organization of American States, Manuel Rodríguez Cuadros and Harold Forsyth, also tendered their resignations.[2] The attorney representing Castillo dropped him as a client, stating: "As a lawyer respectful of the Constitution, I assumed the defense of the President of the Republic presuming his innocence. Since there has been a breach of the constitutional order, I am obliged to irrevocably renounce the defense of citizen Pedro Castillo."[2]
The Constitutional Court released a statement: "No one owes obedience to a usurping government and Mr. Pedro Castillo has made an ineffective coup d'état. The Armed Forces are empowered to restore the constitutional order."[2] The Armed Forces also issued a statement rejecting Castillo's actions and calling for the maintenance of stability in Peru.[6]
Rejecting Castillo's actions to dissolve the legislative body, Congress gathered and voted to remove Castillo from office due to "moral incapacity" with 101 votes in favor, 6 against and 10 abstentions.[64] It was announced that First Vice President Dina Boluarte, who rejected Castillo's actions, would take her oath of office for the presidency at 3:00 pmPET.[64]
President Castillo then fled the Government Palace and contacted president of Mexico Andrés Manuel López Obrador, asking for political asylum.[65] According to President López Obrador, it was likely that Castillo's phone was tapped by Peruvian intelligence, with the Mexican president reporting that Peruvian authorities entered the grounds of the Mexican embassy to prevent Castillo from entering.[65] Individuals gathered outside the Mexican embassy in Lima to block the area upon rumors that Castillo was attempting to flee to seek asylum in Mexico.[66] Castillo was arrested before reaching the Mexican embassy in Lima and was later charged with rebellion.[67][68][69][70][71]
Castillo's vice president Dina Boluarte entered the Legislative Palace shortly after 3:00 pm PET and appeared before Congress, where she was later sworn in as president of Peru.[72]
Mexico: On 7 December, Mexican Foreign Affairs Secretary Marcelo Ebrard stated that he regretted the developments, and called for democracy to be respected.[73] During his morning press conference on 8 December, President of Mexico Andrés Manuel López Obrador revealed he had received a call on Wednesday in which Castillo informed him of his intention to seek political asylum at the Mexican embassy.[71][74] President López Obrador also stated that Mexico did not yet recognize the government of Dina Boluarte, saying that the position of Mexico would be determined in the following days.[65] Later in the day on 8 December, Ebrard stated via Twitter that the Mexican Ambassador to Peru had met with Castillo after his arrest and that the embassy had received a letter from Castillo's lawyer officially requesting asylum.[70]
Argentina: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Worship expressed "deep concern" over the situation in Peru and made a call on "every Peruvian politician" to "protect democratic institutions, the rule of law and constitutional order".[75]
Bolivia: President Luis Arce condemned the "elite harassment" against "popular governments" after the crisis in Peru, stating that "since the beginning, the Peruvian right tried to overthrow a government democratically elected by the people, by the humble classes that seeked more inclusion and social justice". He also sent his solidarity to "the sister Republic of Peru", criticizing the "constant harassment of anti-democratic elites against progressive, popular and legitimately constituted governments", and asked that "everyone" condemn this situation.[76]
Brazil: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs classified Castillo's actions as incompatible with the constitutional framework of Peru, representing a violation of democracy and the rule of law. The ministry wished success to Boluarte.[77] The President-elect, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, stated that the removal of Castillo was "constitutional" and expressed his hope that President Boluarte succeeds in "her task of reconciling the country and leading it on the path of development and social peace."[78]
Chile: The government issued a statement which said that it "deeply regrets the political situation that the Republic of Peru is experiencing, and trusts that this crisis that affects a sister country can be resolved through democratic mechanisms and respect for the rule of law".[79]
Colombia: President Gustavo Petro said that Castillo "allowed himself to be led to political suicide" and that "he was wrong" in wanting to dissolve Congress.[80] He also stressed, however, that "anti-democracy cannot be fought with anti-democracy."[81]
Ecuador: The Foreign Ministry issued a statement expressing "its deep concern about the political situation in the sister country of Peru" and calling "on all political actors to maintain the rule of law and democracy and on the international community to facilitate the democratic process in Peru".[82]
Paraguay: The government expressed "its concern about the situation in Peru", and called for a "constructive dialogue between all the actors and political forces to preserve democracy and its institutions in favor of stability and pacification in that sister country."[83]
Spain: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that their government "firmly condemns the breakdown of the constitutional order in Peru and welcomes the restoration of democratic normality", stating that Spain "will always be on the side of democracy and the defense of constitutional legality."[84] A day later, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced that he had talked with Dina Boluarte and expressed her "Spain's support in defending the Constitution and the Rule of Law".[85]
United States: The government rejected Castillo's actions. U.S. ambassador to Peru Lisa D. Kenna stated, "The United States categorically rejects any extraconstitutional act by President Castillo to prevent Congress from fulfilling its mandate. The United States strongly urges President Castillo to reverse his attempt to shut down Congress and allow Peru's democratic institutions to function according to the Constitution. We encourage the Peruvian public to remain calm during this uncertain time."[86]
Uruguay: The government made "a call to respect democratic institutions and strongly condemns any attempt to break the current constitutional order." It also hoped that the swearing in of Dina Boluarte "will lead to guaranteeing political stability and the preservation of the rule of law".[87]
Venezuela: President Nicolás Maduro stated that although his country does not interfere in the internal affairs of any country, he hoped that the Peruvian people, within the framework of their Constitution, will soon achieve "their path to liberation, democracy and happiness" while claiming that "they elect a teacher as president, [Pedro Castillo], and from the first moment of the election they do not want to recognize his victory, in the end forced by reality they have to recognize his victory as president, and once he is sworn in the conspiracy for a parliamentary coup begins".[88]
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
At the end of the 1980s, a group of military elites secretly developed an analysis of Peruvian society called El cuaderno verde. This analysis established the policies that the following government would have to carry out in order to defeat Shining Path and rescue the Peruvian economy from the deep crisis in which it found itself. El cuaderno verde was passed onto the national press in 1993, after some of these policies were enacted by President Fujimori. ... It was a program that resulted in the forced sterilization of Quechua-speaking women belonging to rural Andean communities. This is an example of 'ethnic cleansing' justified by the state, which claimed that a properly controlled birth rate would improve the distribution of national resources and thus reduce poverty levels. ... The Peruvian state decided to control the bodies of 'culturally backward' women, since they were considered a source of poverty and the seeds of subversive groups
The Fujimori campaign seized upon the Vizcatán massacre to reiterate the 'Castillo-as-extremist' narrative, pointing to alleged ties between Castillo and a Shining Path front group, MOVADEF, to suggest that Castillo bore some responsibility for the gruesome killings.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
|
Coups, self-coups, and attempted coups since 1991
| |
|---|---|
| |
| 1990s |
|
| 2000s |
|
| 2010s |
|
| 2020s |
|
| |
|
Coups, self-coups, and attempted coups in the Americas since 1900
| |
|---|---|
| 1900s |
|
| 1910s |
|
| 1920s |
|
| 1930s |
|
| 1940s |
|
| 1950s |
|
| 1960s |
|
| 1970s |
|
| 1980s |
|
| 1990s |
|
| 2000s |
|
| 2020s |
|
| |
