Pedro Castillo avoids second impeachment trial in Peru

By Laura Gamba

BOGOTA, Colombia (AA) - Peruvian President Pedro Castillo avoided impeachment after opposition lawmakers failed to get the votes needed to remove the left-wing leader from power.

After a debate that lasted more than eight hours in Congress, 55 lawmakers voted late Monday in favor of the impeachment, 54 voted against and 19 abstained, leaving the opposition-dominated Congress without the 87 required to oust Castillo.

"The resolution to declare the vacancy of the presidency of the republic has not been approved," said opposition leader Maria del Carmen Alva, after the vote at 11 p.m. local time.

Castillo had strongly rejected charges of corruption that prompted his second impeachment trial only eight months into his term.

The opposition accused the president of wrongdoing in the bidding process for a contract to build a bridge but he has denied the allegations and claimed “economic interest groups” and right-wing parties were looking to oust him.

Castillo avoided the first impeachment attempt in December after Congress did not achieve the votes in that effort.

The 52-year-old former rural teacher took office in 2021 after beating right-wing candidate Keiko Fujimori by just 44,000 votes.

"I welcome the fact that good sense, responsibility and democracy have prevailed,” Castillo wrote on Twitter after the vote Monday. “I call on everyone to close this chapter and work together for the great challenges of the country."

Impeachment proceedings have been used frequently in Peru, a country that has experienced years of political instability.

The South American country has had five presidents since 2016.​​​​​​​ Former President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski resigned during his impeachment process in 2018 and Martin Vizcarra was removed by Congress in 2020. His departure led Peru to have three presidents in five days.