The political crisis in Peru is spreading throughout the region. The Peruvian Foreign Ministry called on Thursday for consultations the ambassadors of Mexico, Argentina, Colombia and Bolivia in protest at their support for former President Pedro Castillo, detained for a week for the attempted coup. The new government of Dina Boluarte accuses the presidents of the four countries of meddling in the “internal affairs” of Peru by closing ranks with the former president. Castillo had felt quite alone during his term, separated from the axis of the Latin American left, into which he never quite fit, but now that he is in prison he has more foreign support than ever.
Gustavo Petro (Colombia) and Andrés Manuel López Obrador (Mexico) have led the defense of the rural teacher, whom they consider a victim of the Peruvian political system. Three days ago, in a joint statement, the four countries asked the Peruvian authorities to respect Castillo’s investiture. “Since the day of his election, he was the victim of undemocratic harassment, in violation of Article 23 of the American Convention on Human Rights,” the text says. The Latin American block of the left does not completely come to this defense of the rural teacher either. The Chilean president, Gabriel Boric, decided not to second the statement and has given his endorsement to the Boluarte government.
The diplomatic relationship has begun to strain. The situation is not easy for the new president. The protests in the southern regions of the country calling for the electoral advance and the release of Castillo are testing his resistance these days. External noise from neighboring countries increases the pressure on the Government that resulted from the attempted coup.
The Minister of Foreign Relations of Peru, Ana Cecilia Gervasi, has sounded very emphatic in assuring that there was a coup d’état and that the pronouncements of the presidents Alberto Fernández (Argentina), Luis Arce (Bolivia), Petro and López Obrador “did not conform to the traditional ties of friendship, cooperation and mutual respect”.
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