President Castillo standing at the presidential podium. On December 7, Castillo was removed from the presidency by Congress and replaced by his VP Dina Boluarte. File photo.
On Thursday, October 20, a special session of the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS) was convened to analyze the request of the Peruvian government to help maintain democracy in the country after repeated accusations against President Castillo’s government from the Peruvian right wing.
The president of Peru, Pedro Castillo, made a speech on Wednesday to report that he had asked the OAS to activate the Inter-American Charter in order to avoid a “serious alteration of the democratic order” in the country. The Inter-American Charter affirms that “democracy is and should be the common form of government for all countries of the Americas, and it represents a collective commitment to maintaining and strengthening the democratic system in the region.”
“My government has requested, before the OAS, the activation and application of the Inter-American Democratic Charter to initiate a process of consultations with all the political forces, the powers of the state, and the social forces to find… a path that prevents a serious alteration of the democratic order in Peru,” declared President Pedro Castillo.
EN VIVO | Presidente Castillo: “Mi Gobierno ha solicitado ante la OEA la activación y aplicación de la Carta Democrática Interamericana” ►https://t.co/dE9GSDA6ID pic.twitter.com/zFFSeFU2Tq
— TVPerú Noticias (@noticias_tvperu) October 20, 2022
Previously, Castillo had denounced political persecution against him after the Attorney General’s Office accused him before Congress of allegedly leading a criminal organization.
However, the president asserted his commitment and loyalty to the Peruvian people and emphasized that he hopes to fulfill the mandate for which he was elected.
President Castillo alleged that the country’s right-wing and conservative political forces have promoted a new model of coup d’état in Peru.
Denuncio ante el país y la comunidad internacional que las fuerzas políticas que sumieron al país en la corrupción en los años 90 son las que ahora impulsan una modalidad de nuevo golpe de Estado en el Perú.
— Pedro Castillo Terrones (@PedroCastilloTe) October 20, 2022
He stressed that he, his family, and his government have been victims of political persecution that had begun before he took office in July 2021.
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In his message, the Peruvian head of state detailed the accusations promoted by the Peruvian right against him, noting that they have accused him of being a communist, then a terrorist, and now they are promoting a strategy focused on the destruction of his image.
En nuestro país se viene haciendo uso indebido de diversos instrumentos jurídicos desde la fiscalía, con la complicidad de algunos magistrados, contra mi persona y los integrantes de mi gobierno.
— Pedro Castillo Terrones (@PedroCastilloTe) October 20, 2022
“They want me to leave so that they can govern without having been elected,” the president said, and added that in Peru, “legal instruments are being misused on a recurring basis.”
Castillo insisted that evidence of political mobilization for justice is already irrefutable.
(Telesur) with Orinoco Tribune content
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/EF/KZ
