Peru President Pedro Castillo announced the temporary dissolution
of Congress hours before he faced a third impeachment vote on Wednesday, December 7, 2022.

Castillo faced removal from office while he was
under investigation for corruption by prosecutors. In a televised address, he
announced the installation of an ‘exceptional emergency government’ and declared
that he would rule by decree while the new elections for the legislature are being
organized. He also called for the writing of a new constitution and said that a
national curfew would be imposed.

He was ultimately ousted from his position as the leader of the country. 

Also Read | Who is Jaylen Smith, youngest Black mayor in US history?

Who is Pedro Castillo?

Jose Pedro Castillo Terrones was born on
October 19, 1969, in Cajamarca, Peru to an impoverished peasant family. His
father, Ireno Castillo. He is the third of nine children.

As a child, Castillo balanced his schooling and
farm work. He earned his elementary education from Octavio Matta Contreras de Cutervo Higher Pedagogical
Institute. He studied Primary
Education at the Octavio
Carrera Education Institute of Superior Studies and then earned his master’s degree in Educational
Psychology from César
Vallejo University.

Also Read | Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky is TIME magazine’s Person of the Year

From 1995, he worked as a primary school
teacher and principal at a rural school in the town of Puña, where he
was also responsible for cooking for the children and cleaning their
classrooms. Although a low-paying job, he was highly respected and influential
within local communities.

In 2002, Castillo ran for mayorship in Anguia,
although he lost the election. After being involved with Teacher’s unions, he
served as the leader during the 2017 Peru teacher’s strike, demanding increased
salaries and educational budget. After the issue of warning by the government,
Castillo announced the suspension of the strike claiming the suspension as ‘temporary’.

Also Read | Raphael Warnock wins Georgia Senate Runoff election, defeats Herschel Walker

Following his teacher’s union leadership, he
was approached by numerous political parties in Peru to serve as a
congressional candidate. However, he refused the offers and decided to run for
the presidency instead.

Castillo was officially designated as the president
of Peru in July 2021. Castillo and his government have been criticized by many,
calling his presidency unclear due to a lack of prior political experience. In
mid-2022, Free Peru drafted a bill calling for general elections in 2023 to
elect a new president and congress.

Castillo is married to Lilia Paredes, a teacher.
They have two children together.