Pedro Castillo announced the move just before Congress voted to impeach him. Much of his government resigned to protest what political leaders said was a coup attempt.
LIMA, Peru — Peru’s president on Wednesday announced the dissolution of Congress and the installation of an emergency government to rule by decree, in a stunning move that political leaders across the spectrum were quick to denounce as a coup attempt.
President Pedro Castillo spoke hours before Congress had scheduled a vote on impeaching Mr. Castillo on corruption charges. After Mr. Castillo’s announcement, Congress moved up its meeting and swiftly voted to remove him from office.
Mr. Castillo’s attempt to challenge the impeachment vote plunged the fragile democracy into its biggest political crisis in years.
“We have taken the decision to establish an emergency government, to reestablish the rule of law and democracy,’’ Mr. Castillo said, adding that elections would be held for a new Congress “with the ability to draft a new Constitution.”
But it quickly became apparent that his announcement had little support, prompting the mass resignation of much of his government and a joint statement from Peru’s armed forces and the police suggesting that Mr. Castillo did not have the legal authority to carry out his decree and would not support him.
The U.S. Embassy in Lima also issued a statement condemning Mr. Castillo. “The United States emphatically urges President Castillo to reverse his attempt to close Congress and allow democratic in institutions in Peru to work according to the constitution,’’ the embassy said in a tweet. “We encourage the Peruvian public to stay calm during this uncertain time.”
Local television showed images of Mr. Castillo and his family leaving the presidential palace and Vice President Dina Boluarte was scheduled to sworn in as president on Wednesday afternoon.
Mr. Castillo’s announcement echoed a move by President Alberto Fujimori, who was elected democratically in 1990 and then two years later staged a coup with the support of the military and ruled as a dictator until 2000. He is now in prison on charges of corruption and human rights abuses.
Following Mr. Castillo’s announcement, his personal attorney and several members of his administration resigned, including the ministers of economy, justice and human rights, environment, transportation, culture and women; the ambassador at the Organization of American States; and the minister of foreign affairs, who tweeted that the president’s decision was “violating the Constitution.”
“A coup d’état has been produced,” said Francisco Morales, the head of the Constitutional Court. He called on the armed forces to help reestablish order.