A country in South America, Peru, has sworn in its first female leader, Dina Boluarte.
This is coming a day after the country was thrown into political chaos by the Country’s former president, Pedro Castillo who was impeached on Wednesday after announcing a state of emergency and the dissolution of parliament.
Following Mr Castillo’s impeachment, Ms Boluarte was called upon to take over leadership of the South American country. She was sworn in as president and would be in office till 2026.
She condemned her predecessor’s attempt to dissolve parliament, describing it as an attempted coup.
She called for a political truce after months of instability, including two prior impeachment attempts, and said a new cabinet inclusive of all political stripes would be formed.
Castillo’s efforts were quickly stamped out by lawmakers who voted him out of office in a dizzying day of high drama, by the end of which former vice-president Boluarte had emerged as the country’s new head of state.
She took the oath of office within two hours of the impeachment vote, donning the presidential sash in front of Congress and vowing to serve out the rest of Castillo’s term.
In her first words as president, she called for “national unity” and urged lawmakers to put aside their ideological differences, in a tacit reference to the confrontation between Castillo’s leftist government and the right-wing dominated Congress.
The 60-year-old lawyer must now form her first ministerial cabinet, which will be an early indication of whether she is likely to survive in office.
Her initial appointments will signal the support she can muster for her government. If she is unable to rule, calls will grow for her resignation or the calling of early elections.
How former president Castillo was impeached and arrested
In a bid to hold on to power, a few hours before the commencement of fresh but controversial impeachment hearings, Mr Castillo took to national television to announce a state of emergency and dissolution of congress.
Paying no mind to his pronouncement, the parliament proceeded with the impeachment, the third attempt since he came into office in July 2021.
A total of 101 legislators voted in favour of removing him, six voted against and there were 10 abstentions.
Mr Castillo’s government has had various controversies, with dozens of ministers appointed, replaced, fired or quitting their posts in little more than a year.
After his impeachment, Mr Castillo was arrested in Lima on his way to the Mexican embassy.
According to the BBC, photos shared by the police but later deleted showed the former president sitting, seemingly relaxed, and chatting with others.
In a statement, Peru’s public ministry said Mr Castillo had been detained “for allegedly committing a crime against the Powers of the State and Constitutional Order.” He has yet to be formally charged.
His downfall was marked by some small street clashes in Lima, with supporters marching and tussling with police. One demonstrator held a sign saying: “Pedro, the people are with you.”
Television outlets showed Mr Castillo leaving a police station and reported he would be moved to a police-run prison.
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