Silence of the revolutionary allies before Castillo’s self-coup

The leaders of the Latin American left turn their backs on the former president of Peru

• Latin America Pedro Castillo is arrested after his failed coup in Peru
• economy Repsol, Telefónica, ACS… concern in Spanish companies due to the crisis in Peru, the fifth largest trading partner in Latin America

Silence in Mexico City. Silence in Brasília. Silence in Santiago de Chile. The self-coup of Pedro Castillo it was too hot a potato, a matter that is not easy to address for Latin American progressivism. Until Buenos Aires broke the deck with a statement from its Foreign Ministry in which it said little and a lot at the same time.

“Argentina regrets and expresses its deep concern for the political crisis that the sister Republic of Peru is going through, and calls on all political and social actors to safeguard democratic institutions, the rule of law and constitutional order”.

Thus, Argentina refused to speak of a self-coup and spoke of a “political crisis” for which it blamed “everyone”, even though the person who announced the illegal dissolution of the National Congress was none other than the president.

The course of events in Lima showed that Buenos Aires rushed, the best thing for the government of Alberto Fernández would have been to wait for the facts to become clear. Less than an hour after the ambiguous statement was released, Castillo had already been arrested. The self-coup was a failure and Dina Boluarte will be sworn in as the new president of a country addicted to overthrowing heads of state.

Minutes after the crisis, two high-ranking Peruvian diplomats turned their backs on Castillo: the ambassador to the United States resigned, while the ambassador to the Organization of American States (OAS) denounced the organization’s breach of the constitutional order by of the president.

Brazil, in full transition between the Government of Jair Bolsonaro and that of Luiz Incio Lula da Silva, remained silent while confusion reigned in Lima. Bolsonaro is retired from the international scene – he did not attend either the G20 Summit or the Mercosur Summit – while Lula, immersed in setting up his cabinet, was advised by his foreign relations team. to keep prudence while the events take place.

In the north of the region, the only official reaction from Mexico was that of the Secretary of Foreign Relations, Marcelo Ebrard, who announced that the Summit of the Pacific Alliance would be postponed until further notice.

“Given the latest events in Peru, it has been agreed to postpone the Summit of the Pacific Alliance, which will take place on December 14 in the City of Lima,” said the Mexican foreign minister on social networks.

Mexico is also silent

Before Castillo was arrested, he discussed the possibility that Mexico granted him political asylum at his embassy in Lima, a possibility based on the affinity between the two presidents. In December 2021, Andrs Manuel López Obrador revealed conversations that he had had with Castillo, in which the Peruvian president told him about the humiliations to which he was subjected by sectors of Peruvian power.

“He tells me: The pitucos don’t know what they do to me, I pass by and they cover their noses. And I tell him: Don’t worry about that, you are a leader who emerged from the people. The best president of Mexico was a Zapotec indigenous man, Benito Juárez , and the pitucas of his time said when they went to the bathroom: I’m going to the Juárez. It’s something that helps to understand conservative thinking, classism, racism,” the Mexican president recounted at the time.

Chilean President, Gabriel Boric, delayed his reaction. Castillo had been on a state visit to Santiago barely a week ago. When the Foreign Ministry, led by Antonio a Urrejola, finally spoke, the communiqué was in the same line of prudent ambiguity as the one in Buenos Aires an hour earlier.

The Chilean government”deeply regrets the political situation“and trusts that the crisis can be resolved “through democratic mechanisms and respect for the rule of law.” Santiago demanded “respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms” and called for “dialogue.”