On December 7, Peru’s president Pedro Castillo announced that he had dissolved congress by presidential decree. Almost immediately, Congress declared this a coup and deposed him. He was then arrested, and his first vice president Dina Boluarte was declared president. Protests have erupted in many parts of the country with at least seven dead and many injured. Boluarte has now declared a month-long state of emergency.

Jo-Marie Burt joins us once again to explain what happened with Castillo and what is going on with the protests.

Jo-Marie Burt is associate professor of political science and Latin American Studies at the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University. At Mason, she has served as Director of Latin American Studies, Co-Director of the Center for Global Studies, and Associate Chair for Undergraduate Studies.

Photo by Carlos Ruiz Huaman on Unsplash

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