Castillo Allies Hit Back as Attorney General Launches Another Probe Into Peruvian President

As Peru’s new president struggles to make inroads on an ambitious economic agenda amid ferocious political attacks that his allies say are being amplified by the US, his party is taking the fight to its enemies.

The Peruvian attorney general’s office has opened yet another preliminary criminal investigation against the president of Peru, Pedro Castillo - its fourth so far. The inquiry by the attorney general comes just a day after Mariano González, a former interior minister, claims he was ousted for political reasons.

Castillo, the former teacher-turned-union leader who took office last July, has been under continuous attack at home since taking office, and his tenure has been marred by seemingly-endless opposition intransigence and political inexperience. There’s now talk of a possible third impeachment effort over González’s dismissal. The official had served as Castillo’s sixth interior minister.

Meanwhile, the right-wing party Avanza País launched legislation Wednesday aiming to reduce the number of votes needed to force a president to resign from 87 to 78, and wealthier sectors have called on Castillo to step down – calls which have been rapidly amplified by Peru’s largely oligarch-owned media.

Presidential allies like Vladimir Cerron, the head of the Peru Libre party, say the non-governmental organizations echoing calls for Castillo’s ouster are funded by the US government.

Una serie de ONGs de USAID, piden la salida del presidente Castillo, están como el Grupo El Comercio, porque todas son del mismo dueño del norte

— Vladimir Cerrón (@VLADIMIR_CERRON) July 21, 2022

On Wednesday, another Peru Libre member, Kelly Portalatino, announced the party was hitting back with an investigation of their own into the former interior minister for sedition, citing an interview just days ago in which González was recorded “openly declaring his intention to bring down the President” and “conspiring against him,” she said.

Solicité a la Fiscal de la Nación investigación contra el ex ministro del interior Gonzales por los actos de sedición que habría cometido al declarar abiertamente su intención de hacer caer al Presidente y conspirando en su contra.
Esperamos una investigación seria y responsable pic.twitter.com/rE8zj56yZJ

— kelly portalatino (@kellyportalati2) July 20, 2022