The president of Peru, Pedro Castillo, decreed this Wednesday the dissolution of the unicameral Congress and the establishment of an emergency government. In addition, the president dictated a night curfew throughout the country.
These measures are already being considered a coup, not only by the opposition, but also by ministers and senior government officials, who are presenting resignations in a chain.
Castillo, a leftist outsider who came to power barely a year ago, has made this decision hours before he was due to appear before Congress this Wednesday to face the third impeachment of his term.
The president has made the announcement through a message to the Nation, where he has assured that his intention is "to call in the shortest possible time elections for a new Congress with constituent powers to prepare a new Constitution within a period of no more than nine months" . Castillo has said that in the meantime "it will be governed by decree law."
The president has justified the extreme measure "in response to citizen claims throughout the country", announcing an "exception government" on a "temporary" basis. "We made the decision to establish an emergency government aimed at establishing the rule of law and democracy, for which purpose the measures are issued: temporarily dissolve the Congress of the Republic and establish an exceptional emergency government."
The decreed nocturnal curfew will come into force this Wednesday and will be in force between ten at night and four in the morning.
In addition, the president announced the "reorganization of the justice system, the Judiciary, the Public Ministry, the National Board of Justice and the Constitutional Court."
"The most extreme political adversaries unite with the sole purpose of making the government fail to take power without having won an election," Castillo said in his speech, just a few hours before he was scheduled to appear in Congress to submit to the third impeachment of his term, accused of corruption. Castillo outlasted the other two impeachment attempts, as lawmakers' votes never reached the required supermajority, 87 of 130 total seats.
