LIMA: In a day of dramatic political events, the Peruvian Congress on Wednesday swore in a new president. The previous president, Pedro Castillo, had been removed from office just hours earlier in his impeachment trial.

With 101 votes in favor of Castillo's removal, six against, and 10 abstentions, lawmakers proceeded with the previously scheduled impeachment trial, ignoring Castillo's attempt to close the legislature by decree.

After the result was announced to raucous applause, Vice President Dina Boluaarte was appointed by the legislature.
Bolurate becomes Peru's first female president when she takes the oath of office until 2026.

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To resolve the crisis, he called for a political truce and announced the formation of a new cabinet that would include members from all political parties. Castillo's decision to dissolve Congress was condemned by him as an "attempted coup".

After voting to remove Castillo, Peru's national police posted a picture on Twitter of him sitting unrestrained in a police station and claimed that he had "interfered" with the carrying out of his duties. It was not known whether he was arrested or not.

Castillo had previously announced that he would temporarily dissolve Congress, install a "government of exception" and schedule new elections for the legislature.

His ministers resigned as a result, fueling furious accusations that he was planning a coup from both his allies and the opposition. He was warned by the army and police that the manner in which he tried to dissolve the Congress was illegal.

Some smaller, relatively quiet street protests took place. Dozens of people waving Peruvian flags celebrated Castillo's defeat in Lima, and his supporters marched throughout the capital and Arequipa. "Pedro, the people are with you," one of them announced at a signal.

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There were many police officers wearing plastic helmets and shields around the Government Palace and Congress in Lima.
Years of political unrest in Peru led to corruption charges against several leaders, several attempts to remove them from office, and shortened presidential terms.

The most recent legal dispute began in October when Castillo was charged with violating the constitution for allegedly allowing a "criminal organization" to profit from state contracts and obstructing investigations.

Castillo was called before Congress last week to answer claims of "moral incapacity" for the office. Castillo referred to the allegations as "slander" carried out by organizations hoping to "capitalize on and seize power that they lost in the elections".

Since he took office in July 2021, the left-leaning teacher-turned-president has resisted two previous attempts to remove him from office.

But after his attempt on Wednesday to dissolve the Congress, his allies turned against him and regional powers stressed the importance of maintaining democratic stability.

The US ambassador to Peru, Lisa Kenna, said on Twitter that the US "categorically rejects any extra-constitutional act by President Castillo to prevent Congress from fulfilling its mandate."

The unrest roiled markets at the world's No. 2 copper producer, but analysts claimed Castillo's ouster could be good news for investors as he has been up against a hostile Congress since taking office.

The Peruvian sol lost more than 2% against the dollar before recovering slightly to trade down 1.4 percent.

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According to Andres Abadia of Pantheon Macroeconomics, Peru's financial markets will suffer but not collapse, due to strong domestic fundamentals.