Pedro Castillo, political suicide

Kyoto. Pedro Castillo leaves the presidency for the unforgivable mistake of defending his personal interests over those of the State, but above all and as a consequence of the above, for having launched a self-coup.

The judicial investigations into possible acts of corruption committed within his family circle led Castillo to plan a forward flight, that is, through a self-coup, because he knew that a vacancy motion from Congress, the third in least a year and a half, would have expelled him from the presidency for not having the support of the majority of the assembly members: neither the opposition nor even his party.

There is a type of naivety that is the product of ignorance. From weakness one cannot boast of possessing herculean strength. Pedro Castillo was losing grammage from the first minute of his Government. He lost too much political weight, so much so that members of his party turned their backs on him.

Castillo assumed the presidency as a true outsider of politics at a time when half of the Peruvian population had been disappointed in their rulers from the political class. Odebrecht was a corrupting ray that went through several of its members.

Former President Alan García committed suicide at the moment the police entered his home to bring him to justice. The Brazilian construction company “won” tenders for 1.8 billion dollars. The same thing happened during the governments of Alejandro Toledo and Ollanta Humala.

The Peruvian Congress opened the exit doors to President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski after being investigated by the Justice for crimes of money laundering and collusion. According to an Odebrecht representative, Kuczynski received $300,000 in 2011 as a “bite.”

Those who thought that Pedro Castillo would not take the easy route to corruption were wrong. The Peruvian Prosecutor’s Office accused him of leading a criminal organization from his government that, among other crimes, is that of awarding bids in a biased way in favor of family acquaintances. They did it from the ministries of Transportation and Housing. There have also been irregularities in the army, due to the promotion of high command in exchange for money.

Last May, arrest warrants were released against a sister-in-law and two nephews of Pedro Castillo.

The inability to govern is also a form of corruption. Castillo was not the original candidate of the Peru Libre party. Vladimir Carrón was, but he did not meet the requirements to run: problems with the Justice. Castillo, without political experience and with visible traces of ignorance on various strategic issues, did not have the slightest modesty to avoid taking a step into the void.

Cornered by the Justice and in full confrontation with the Legislature, Castillo tried to emulate Alberto Fujimori in his attempt to remain in power without counterweights. That is, ruling at gunpoint.

The military also left him alone.

Pedro Castillo never understood that, due to political instability and without a sufficient majority of seats, Congress governs.

In the international arena, your friend, President López Obrador, will be tempted to extend a hand. If he does, he would become an accomplice. The grievance would reach the heart of Peruvian diplomacy.

The AMLO government sent a team last December to recommend Castillo the formula to confront the media. Castillo ignored him.

Secretary Marcelo Ebrard will follow AMLO’s instructions. In his double personality, official and his candidate, he will run the risk of receiving a hellish transfer of bad image in case AMLO supports Castillo.

He already did it with Evo Morales.

These are defining times.

Pedro Castillo will go down in history as the worst disappointment in Peru.

A buffoonery that could be taken to a political porn film.