Peru’s president says ‘new type of coup’ underway against him

Peru’s embattled President Pedro Castillo has declared that “a new type of coup d’état has begun,” after prosecutors filed a constitutional complaint against him in Congress.

The litigation filed against Castillo on Tuesday came just hours after a number of the Peruvian president’s allies and his sister were taken into custody by authorities over corruption charges.

“Today, in the morning hours, the execution of a new type of coup has begun in Peru,” Castillo said at a conference with the foreign press.

He said the move against the head of the government was unprecedented in the Latin American country.

“Never has it been seen in the history of the country that the homes of officials, congressmen and former government workers are raided simultaneously, being convinced by false information … that we are tarnished,” he said.

The president accused the judiciary of acting “politically,” saying they wanted to legitimize a criminal network. “They want to legitimize a criminal network and they don’t care about the dignity of people, they don’t care about respect for families,” but he insisted that, despite “the political persecution,” his government will stand “tall and firm.”

“They are not going to intimidate us. We are here stronger than ever, not only to consolidate democracy in Peru, but also to consolidate our solidarity with other communities, with other countries, because a government that is born from the people, we owe it to them and we have to keep working,” he said.

On the other hand, the president described it “outrageous” that the judicial officials detain “innocent” people and that, on the other hand, “they do not have the courage to do it with drug traffickers, with people who have committed crimes.”

Castillo concluded his speech by reiterating his “commitment and loyalty” to continue working for the Peruvian people and said he was confident that he would reach the end of his mandate, in 2026.

He also assured that he would not leave his country or request asylum abroad.

“These accusations that are being made are orchestrated, they are planned and we are going to continue fighting,” he said.

Castillo has faced repeated challenges over whether he has used his presidency to benefit himself and his family. Since assuming power in July 2021, the head of state has faced six preliminary investigations by the Prosecutor’s Office against him, five of them in the hands of Attorney General Patricia Benavides.

“We have found very serious indications of a criminal organization that has taken roots in the government,” Benavides said after the latest legal filing, which was the most serious push yet against the president, who took the helm after a lengthy standoff and has already survived two impeachment attempts.

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The leftist Castello won the presidency in a tight election against right-wing candidate Keiko Fujimori.

After Castillo took the lead during the ballot-counting process in the second round of elections, Fujimori disseminated unsubstantiated claims of electoral fraud. She is the eldest daughter of the imprisoned former President Alberto Fujimori and represents her father’s ideology within Peru, including support for neoliberal economics and opposition to socialism.

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