Castillo’s Ouster and Rural Uprising
On December 7, 2022, Peru’s Congress impeached President Pedro Castillo hours after his desperate attempt to dissolve the legislature and rule by decree. His vice president Dina Boluarte—from Castillo’s own party—assumed power, sparking months of deadly protests demanding her resignation, new elections, and constitutional reform. The uprising revealed Peru’s deep urban-rural and ethnic divides, with indigenous and rural communities rallying for the ousted leftist leader.
From Teacher to President to Prison
Castillo, a rural teacher and union organizer with no prior political experience, won the 2021 presidency by narrow margin (50.1%) against right-wing candidate Keiko Fujimori. His Free Peru party promised to rewrite the constitution, redistribute mining wealth, and empower rural indigenous communities long marginalized by Lima elites.
His 17-month presidency proved chaotic: five cabinets, corruption investigations, and hostile relations with Congress (controlled by opposition). Facing his third impeachment vote on December 7, 2022, Castillo announced he would dissolve Congress and call new elections—an unconstitutional “self-coup” attempt. Military and police refused support; Congress impeached him 101-6 for “moral incapacity.” He was arrested trying to seek Mexican Embassy asylum.
Boluarte’s “Betrayal” and Deadly Crackdowns
Protesters—primarily from Peru’s southern Andean regions where Castillo won 80%+ support—viewed Dina Boluarte as a traitor who enabled Lima elites’ coup. They demanded her resignation, Castillo’s release, dissolving Congress, and a constituent assembly to draft a new constitution addressing indigenous rights and resource distribution.
Boluarte declared states of emergency and deployed military to quell demonstrations. Security forces used live ammunition, killing over 60 protesters by March 2023—the deadliest political violence since Alberto Fujimori’s 1990s dictatorship. Most deaths occurred in Puno, Ayacucho, and Apurímac—impoverished Quechua and Aymara majority regions.
Human rights organizations documented extrajudicial killings, torture, and sexual violence. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights condemned “disproportionate use of force.” International Criminal Court opened preliminary examination.
Regional and Ethnic Dimensions
The conflict exposed Peru’s entrenched racism and regional inequality. Lima’s Spanish-speaking mestizo elites largely supported Boluarte, viewing Castillo as incompetent. Rural indigenous communities saw him as their first true representative, victimized by racist establishment.
Protesters blockaded highways, occupied airports, and marched on Lima despite violent dispersals. CONAIE (Ecuador’s indigenous confederation) expressed solidarity, framing Peru’s crisis within broader Andean indigenous struggles against neoliberalism.
By mid-2023, protests waned due to exhaustion and repression, but Boluarte’s approval plummeted below 10%. Castillo remained jailed on corruption charges while Congress resisted early election demands. The crisis demonstrated Peru’s fragile democracy, deep inequalities, and unresolved legacy of internal conflict and marginalization.
Sources:
The Guardian, BBC, Al Jazeera, Human Rights Watch, The New York Times, Reuters, Washington Office on Latin America