President Castillo Turns to the OAS to Avoid Soft Coup in Peru

On Wednesday, President Pedro Castillo announced that he has asked the Organization of American States (OAS) to activate the "Inter-American Democratic Charter" to prevent a coup in Peru.

RELATED: 

Peru: Castillo Denounces New Modality To Overthrow Government

"My government has requested before the OAS the application of the Inter-American Democratic Charter to initiate a process of consultations with all the political forces, the powers of the State, and the social forces to find... a path that prevents a serious disruption of the democratic order," he said in a message to the nation.

More specifically, the Peruvian President appealed to the Chart's articles 17 and 18 "as a preventive mechanism for the defense of democracy and to avoid constitutional rupture.

Over the last few months, Castillo has been denouncing the existence of a plot to remove him from power through a "new form of coup d'état", which uses "lawfare" as a mechanism to delegitimize leftist rulers and promote their resignation or dismissal.

These actions have been organized by the Peruvian far-right that seeks to involve Castillo in alleged corruption cases. The petition to the OAS was made known on Wednesday, but Castillo formally requested it on Oct. 12.

This happened after the Attorney General of the Nation Patricia Benavides presented in Congress a constitutional complaint against the Peruvian President, whom she accuses of leading a mafia that used public works contracts to obtain illicit profits.

Castillo and his lawyers maintain that he cannot be accused of corruption or common crimes since the Constitution establishes that an acting president can only be accused for four specific causes, among which are betraying the country or preventing elections.