Peruvian president impeached and arrested

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Peru’s new president, Dina Boluarte Associated Press/Photo by Fernando Vergara

Peruvian president impeached and arrested

President Pedro Castillo was removed from power Wednesday after just 17 months in office. Members of Congress voted during an emergency meeting to impeach Castillo after he announced plans to dissolve the governing body and install an emergency government. Shortly after his impeachment, authorities placed Castillo under arrest on charges of rebellion. Former Vice President Dina Boluarte was sworn into office. She is the nation’s first female head of state and the sixth president in as many years.

What contributed to Castillo’s short tenure as leader? Chaos embroiled his time in office as turnover among ministers was high and opposition leaders attempted to impeach him twice before Wednesday’s vote. He won a runoff election in June 2021 by just 44,000 votes but struggled to unite the country’s lawmakers.

Dig deeper: Read R. Albert Mohler Jr.’s column for WORLD Opinions about why presidents must defend the constitution.

Lauren Canterberry

Lauren Canterberry is a reporter for WORLD. She graduated from the World Journalism Institute and the University of Georgia with a degree in journalism, both in 2017. She worked as a local reporter in Texas and now lives in Georgia with her husband.