Ousted Peruvian President Pedro Castillo

The governments of Argentina, Colombia, Bolivia, and Mexico expressed on Monday their concern about the political crisis in Peru and urged its authorities to respect the will of Peruvians amid protests.

Former Peruvian President Pedro Castillo was impeached by parliament and arrested last week. On Monday, he issued a letter saying that he refused to resign and urged Peruvians to reject the snap election scheduled for 2024.

"The governments of the Republic of Colombia, the United Mexican States, the Argentine Republic and the Plurinational State of Bolivia express their profound concern for the recent events that resulted in the removal and the detention of Jose Pedro Castillo Terrones, President of the Republic of Peru," the joint statement of the four Latin American governments read.

The four governments considered that since he was elected, Castillo has been the victim of an "anti-democratic persecution."

"Our governments call on all of the actors involved in the process to prioritize the will of the citizens that was made clear on election day," the statement read.

Gobiernos de Colombia, Bolivia, Argentina y México expresaron su preocupación por la remoción y detención de Pedro Castillo, presidente de Perú. Acciones que violan la Convención Americana. Piden respetar la voluntad ciudadana en las urnas, los DDHH, así como el debido proceso. pic.twitter.com/JqEiI7YyjN
— Jesús Ramírez Cuevas (@JesusRCuevas) December 12, 2022

In response, the Peruvian Foreign Ministry rejected the joint statement of the four Latin American governments, claiming that Peru’s transition of power followed the constitutional order.

The Ministry also considered that Castillo’s decision to dissolve the country's congress amounted to a coup d’etat.

Mexican Foreign Affairs Secretary Marcelo Ebrard told a briefing late on Monday that the country's proposal of asylum to Castillo should not be interpreted as meddling in Peru's domestic affairs and is merely a sign of Mexico's support for the right to asylum.

On December 7, Peru's parliament voted on impeaching Castillo, who had tried to dissolve the parliament before the vote. On the same day, Dina Boluarte, Vice President at the time, took an oath as the new President, saying she is assuming the presidency "in accordance with the Constitution of Peru, from now until July 26, 2026," the date on which Castillo's term would have expired.

The Boluarte government later announced its intention of calling for early elections in April 2024, two years ahead of schedule, after the protests across the country turned deadly.

On Sunday, demonstrations took place in the Peruvian capital of Lima, as well as in Apurimac, Cajamarca, Arequipa, Lambayeque, and Ica, demanding Castillo’s release.

Peru's healthcare authorities confirmed that at least seven protesters have been killed during mass demonstrations, while police said 15 officers were injured by an explosive.

According to PeruRail, the airports of Arequipa, Andahuaylas, and Cusco are shut, as well as the train line connecting Cusco to the archaeological site of Machu Picchu.

Earlier, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador confirmed that his country's relations with Peru would be "paused" until the political situation is resolved, arguing that Castillo won the 2021 election "and he can’t be dismissed."