Peru's new President Dina Boluarte, who was called on by Congress to take the office after the legislature approved the removal of President Pedro Castillo in an impeachment trial, in Lima, Peru, December 7, 2022 [Sebastian Castaneda/Reuters]

Lima, December 7 (RHC)-- Peru’s Congress swore in a new president, Dina Boluarte, just hours after the legislature voted to remove Pedro Castillo in the third impeachment trial of his embattled and short-lived presidency.  The opposition-led Congress on Wednesday afternoon overwhelmingly voted in favour of removing Castillo, who earlier in the day had announced plans to “temporarily” dissolve the legislature and rule by decree.

Castillo had said the move aimed to “reestablish the rule of law and democracy” in Peru but it was widely condemned by opposition leaders and others, including his own vice president, Dina Boluarte, as an attempted “coup.”

Congress asked Boluarte to take over following its impeachment vote and she took the oath of office on Wednesday afternoon to become the first woman to lead the South American nation. She was sworn in as president until 2026.

Boluarte called for a political truce to overcome the crisis and said a new cabinet inclusive of all political stripes would be formed. “There has been an attempted coup … that has not found an echo in the institutions, nor in the street,” she said after her swearing-in.

“What I ask for is space, time to rescue the country,” she added.