( Spanish) — The President of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, welcomed the family of Pedro Castillo during his daily conference this Wednesday.
The president also said that they decide to maintain relations with Peru so that, through the embassy, they can protect Mexicans in the South American country.
Earlier, the foreign minister of Mexico, Marcelo Ebrard, had announced via Twitter that the family of Pedro Castillo, former president recently ousted in Peru and currently detained, was already in Mexico City.
“Our country has honored its tradition of asylum,” Ebrand said.
Lilia Paredes, Arnold and Alondra Castillo at the Mexico City Airport upon their arrival from Lima, Peru. pic.twitter.com/UkjGpRLEdg
— Marcelo Ebrard C. (@m_ebrard) December 21, 2022
The director for South America of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mexico, Martín Borrego Llorente, had also said: “I received the Castillo family in our country, protected by the figure of political asylum. Faithful to our diplomatic tradition and pride in the Mexican foreign policy that continues to save lives in Latin America”.
This Tuesday, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Peru, Ana Cecilia Gerbasi Díaz, had announced that Mexico had granted the safe-conduct to relatives of Castillo. In addition, she said that in the case of Lilia Paredes, “the granting of the safe-conduct is made with the reservation of the right of the Peruvian State to request the eventual extradition.”
Peru’s reaction to Mexico’s decision
Peru reacted to Mexico’s decision and this Tuesday declared the Mexican ambassador in the country persona “non grata”.
Minister Gerbasi Díaz explained that it is due to “repeated statements by the highest authorities of that country regarding the political situation in Peru,” which led to the delivery of a diplomatic note in which she is notified that she has 72 hours to leave the country.
“Pablo Monroy, ambassador in Lima, informs me that the Government of Peru has set him 72 hours to leave the country. I find that decision unfounded and reprehensible. The conduct of our ambassador has been attached to the law and to the principle of non-intervention. Mexico Its position will not change,” said Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard. Y added that he recognized “the effectiveness of his efforts in complex circumstances.”
In addition, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mexico reported in a statement that “it has instructed Ambassador Pablo Monroy Conesa to return to Mexico in order to protect his safety and physical integrity.”
The Mexican authorities also indicated that the Embassy will be in charge of the first secretary Karla Tatiana Ornelas Loera, current head of the Mission’s Chancellery.
Congress of Peru approves early elections for 2024
The Peruvian Congress approved with 93 votes in favor, 30 against, and 1 abstention, the constitutional reform proposal to advance elections to 2024.
With 93 votes in favour, the #PlenoDelCongreso approved the substitute text of the bill that proposes the constitutional reform for the advancement of elections for April 2024. pic.twitter.com/4gmmIZrdxc
— Congress of Peru ?? (@congresoperu) December 20, 2022
The continuation of the protests after the dismissal of Pedro Castillo led the Peruvian Congress to reconsider the option of an electoral advance. The initiative had been rejected last week, despite the request of President Dina Boluarte.
This Sunday, Boluarte announced in an interview on the “Cuarto Poder” program, on Peruvian television, that he would rearm his cabinet for one “a little more political” because the demonstrations at the national level do not stop.
“To solve the needs that are pending to be solved as quickly as we can, because nobody can put a minister who is going to learn how the sector is inside, we are going to delay time. This is a transitional government, we need to act fast,” he said.
Finally, this Wednesday, Boluarte swore in his new ministers, and this is how the cabinet ended:
- President of the Council of Ministers: Luis Alberto Otárola Peñaranda
- Ministry of Foreign Relations: Ana Cecilia Gervasi Díaz
- Ministry of Defense: Jorge Luis Chávez Crest
- Minister of Economy and Finance: Alex Alonso Contreras Miranda
- Ministry of the Interior: Víctor Eduardo Rojas Herrera
- Ministry of Justice and Human Rights: José Andrés Tello Alfaro
- Ministry of Education: Oscar Manuel Becerra Tresierra
- Ministry of Health: Rosa Bertha Gutiérrez Palomino
- Ministry of Agrarian Development and Irrigation: Nelly Paredes del Castillo
- Ministry of Labor and Employment Promotion: Eduardo Alonso García Birimisa
- Ministry of Production: Sandra Belaunde Arnillas
- Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism: Luis Fernando Helguero González
- Ministry of Energy and Mines: Oscar Electo Vera Gargurevich
- Ministry of Transport and Communications: Paola Pierina Lazarte Castillo
- Ministry of Housing, Construction and Sanitation: Hania Pérez de Cuéllar
- Ministry of Women and Vulnerable Populations: Greece Elena Rojas Ortiz
- Ministry of the Environment: Albina Ruiz Ríos
- Ministry of Culture: Leslie Carol Urteaga Peña
- Ministry of Development and Social Inclusion: Julio Javier Demartini Montes
Protest death toll rises
Meanwhile, the Peruvian Ministry of Health reported this Wednesday that at least 27 people have died during the demonstrations that have been taking place in the country since the beginning of December.
According to the Minsa report, the victims were reported in Ayacucho (10), Apurímac (6), Cusco (3), Junín (3), La Libertad (3) and Arequipa (2).
For its part, the Ombudsman in Peru reported on Wednesday the statistics that they manage on deaths related to the political crisis. This entity records 22 deaths in confrontations and 6 due to traffic accidents and events related to the blockade.
With information from Juan Paz, Hira Humayun, Claudia Rebaza and Kiarinna Parisi.