• 53-year-old Mr. Castillo is currently detained in Lima.
• His plea for refuge has been delivered to the president of Mexico by a lawyer.
• Castillo attempted to dissolve Congress, which resulted in his removal from office.

In a remarkable turn of events on Wednesday, Pedro Castillo, the former president of Peru, was impeached and subsequently charged with rebellion. Mexico says it is thinking about providing Castillo asylum.

53-year-old Mr. Castillo is currently detained in Lima. His plea for refuge has been delivered to the president of Mexico by a lawyer.

According to Marcelo Ebrard, the foreign minister of Mexico, the two nations are now debating the matter.

Castillo attempted to dissolve Congress, which resulted in his removal from office.

In order to avoid an impeachment vote, Mr. Castillo made the announcement that the opposition-controlled legislature would be dissolved.

However, Congress disobeyed him and decisively removed him from power, and his bodyguards prevented him from seeking asylum at the Mexican consulate in Lima, the country’s capital.

A few hours later, Dina Boluarte, his 60-year-old vice president, was sworn in as the new leader by Congress.
Mr. Castillo’s attorney asked the Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador to “consider granting refuge… in the face of the baseless persecution of justice bodies” in a letter sent late on Wednesday.

The letter continued, “They plan to prosecute him for mere declarations of will or intention that do not constitute any criminal offence.”

Pablo Monroy, the Mexican ambassador to Peru, allegedly met Mr. Castillo in Lima, according to Mr. Ebrard.

He claimed, “He found [Mr Castillo] in the company of his attorney and in good physical condition.”

In response to Mr. Castillo’s attempt to dissolve Congress on Wednesday, which she referred to as a “attempted coup,” Ms. Boluarte, who was Mr. Castillo’s running mate in the 2021 election, promptly severed ties with him.

After being sworn in, she addressed the nation, calling for “national unity” and requesting a “truce” so that she could battle corruption.
Even by the standards of Peru, which in 2020 had three presidents in the span of five days, Mr. Castillo’s presidency was turbulent.

In June 2021, the former teacher from the left narrowly defeated Keiko Fujimori from the right to become president.

However, Mr. Castillo, who frequently attended formal occasions wearing a wide-brimmed hat, rapidly appeared out of his element due to his lack of political experience and the hostile Congress.

Throughout his 18-month term in office, his cabinet experienced frequent change, and he had five prime ministers.

The allegations of corruption that Mr. Castillo claimed were a result of “political persecution” also cast a cloud over his tenure in office.

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