Castillo obtains the support of the OAS, which sends a mission in the face of a political crisis

First modification: 10/21/2022 – 10:46Last modification: 10/21/2022 – 10:49

The unanimous decision of the OAS to apply the Inter-American Democratic Charter to the crisis in Peru and the support that the more than thirty countries of that organization have given it, is a victory for President Pedro Castillo against the actions of the opposition Congress to remove him. .

The OAS appointed “a high-level group made up of representatives of the member states, in accordance with the Inter-American Democratic Charter, to carry out a visit to Peru in order to analyze the situation” and then report on it to the Advice.

Congress accuses Castillo of corruption based on a tax complaint that points to him as the head of a criminal organization to benefit from public tenders. The president assures that the accusation is false.

The Peruvian government denounced at the OAS a coup plot by Congress and the prosecutor’s office. He points out that the Constitution does not allow impeaching an incumbent president on charges of corruption, but the opposition seeks to bypass that impediment to enable the accusation and remove Castillo from office.

The OAS also questioned the ambiguous figure of “permanent moral incapacity” to remove the president, an alternative that the opposition could use.

The American organization expressed its concern about democracy in Peru and decided to send a mission to that country to talk with the parties and seek a way out of the crisis.

The response of the OAS means “a support that it gives to a president who requires social, political and international support,” political analyst Carlos Meléndez explains to RFI.

“The OAS can contribute to this, which is an institution that for many political actors is discredited, because when the opposition wanted to file a complaint of fraud that apparently occurred in the 2021 presidential elections, the OAS literally closed the door in its face. to the delegation of the Peruvian opposition”, he recalls.

The opposition points out that there is not a coup in progress, but an action against corruption, and has questioned the OAS decision.

Castillo, in power since 2021 for a five-year term, faced two impeachment attempts in Congress -dominated by the right- and was subjected to six tax investigations for alleged corruption, of which his family circle and closest politician.

Castillo was satisfied with the OAS decision to “preserve democratic institutions and the legitimate exercise of power in our country,” and once again denounced “the politicization of justice,” in a message posted on Facebook and Twitter.

The president had asked the OAS to activate articles 17 and 18 of the Inter-American Democratic Charter, an instrument approved in 2001 to promote democratic principles.