Peru has declared a state of emergency as protests rock parts of the country following the impeachment of Pedro Castillo as president.
Earlier in December, Castillo was removed after making a last-ditch bid to cling to power.
The former president said he would shut down the opposition-controlled congress, launch a “government of exception”, and call for new legislative elections.
Castillo attempted to dissolve congress hours before it was scheduled to begin the third round of impeachment proceedings against him since he took office in July 2021, but he was unsuccessful.
Shortly after his impeachment, he was arrested.
Dina Boluarte, Castillo’s vice, was sworn in, making her Peru’s first female president.
However, her election as Peru’s president has been rejected by many of Catillo’s loyalists as protests have rocked the nation for days, with demonstrators calling for Boluarte’s resignation.
Supporters of the former president have converged on police precincts, news media headquarters, and an international airport in the southern city of Arequipa. Highways have been blocked, including stretches of the Pan-American highway, Al Jazeera reports.
So far, seven deaths have been recorded.