Former Prime Minister of Peru Betssy Chavez was aware of the surprising announcement by former President Pedro Castillo to dissolve Congress, which ultimately led to his political suicide, according to what was read in the cabinet’s Whatsapp group, in which he urged the rest of ministers to go to the headquarters of the Presidency due to the “historic day” that was going to take place.
Much has been said about the degree of knowledge that the ministers of Castillo’s cabinet would have, after most of them chose to resign once they learned of the former president’s decision to close Congress, establish an emergency government and convene elections.
At first it was planned that several of Castillo’s ministers, including the former Foreign Affairs, Cesar Landa, the former Labor, Alejandro Salas, or the former Justice, Felix Chero, would go to the Government Palace on Wednesday to help him to prepare the debate on his motion of censure in Congress.
However, hours before that meeting, Chavez urged the entire cabinet to go to the headquarters of the Presidency. “Gentlemen ministers, to appear immediately”, wrote Chavez, who ordered them to present themselves because it is “a historic day” and “unity” and “cohesion” are needed.
According to what several ministers believed, that “historic day” referred to the third debate on the motion of no confidence that Castillo had to face in just a year and a half of his mandate, as they told the newspaper ‘La Republica’. However, shortly after they discovered that it was the dissolution of Congress.
Around noon, an hour after Chavez’s message, Pedro Castillo announced to the entire country that he was dissolving Congress, calling elections, and establishing an emergency government. During the minutes that followed, a cascade of resignations began within the cabinet, which reproached him for having carried out a “coup d’etat”.
Before this, Chavez asked his colleagues not to listen to the information that was appearing in the press, demanding “serenity” because they had acted “within the framework” of legality.
Immediately, several of the ministers who had announced his departure reproached Chavez for not having informed of Castillo’s intentions. “A minimum of an explanation. What happened? Where was this decision determined?” Wrote former Environment Minister Wilbert Rozas.
For their part, the former Ministers of Labor Alejandro Salas, and of Education, Rosendo Serna, reproached that this decision had not been consulted, and the former wondered why everything was done without consulting, pointing out that “the democratic path should always have been followed “.
Chavez’s prior knowledge of what was going to happen fuels the theory that some leaders of Peru Libre (PL) have been defending in the last few hours that Castillo would have been pressured both for this and by former Prime Minister Anibal Torres to take this step that has cost him his job.
“Anibal Torres was the de facto president,” said the general secretary of PL, Vladimir Cerron, while the first of his former chiefs of staff, Guido Bellido, has demanded “the head of the person who wrote the presidential message knowing that it could not be dissolve Congress outside of the laws”.
This Wednesday, the Peruvian Congress approved the dismissal of Pedro Castillo shortly after he announced the closure of Parliament and declared an emergency government, all amid strong political pressure and investigations into alleged corruption against him since he took office. in July 2021.
Castillo now remains in detention for the next seven days while the investigation against him continues for the alleged crime of rebellion after announcing that he was dissolving Congress. As established by the Constitution, the until then vice president, Dina Boluarte, has taken over the Presidency.
