What We Know About the Political Turmoil in Peru An impeachment vote, an arrest, a new president. A day of political drama presented another challenge for the South American democracy.

Peru has been convulsed in recent years by political turmoil, rapid turnovers of presidents and constant scandals and investigations. But Wednesday was perhaps one of the most tumultuous days in the country’s recent history.

Congress had scheduled an afternoon vote on whether to impeach the president, Pedro Castillo, on corruption charges. But, the president, seeking to thwart the vote, announced the dissolution of Congress and the installation of an emergency government, in what was quickly and widely condemned as a coup attempt.

The move shocked even the president’s allies, and by day’s end, Mr. Castillo had been removed from office and was under arrest. Dina Boluarte, his vice president, became president, the first woman to lead Peru.

The political drama is the latest challenge for the country’s young democracy, but it is also, perhaps, a sign of its resilience.

Who is Pedro Castillo?

Mr. Castillo, 53, who was elected president last year, was born to parents who were illiterate farmers  in an impoverished, rural region without sewage and a lack of access to health care and schools.

Even after Mr. Castillo became a teacher, he farmed to supplement his income. He became a union activist, helping to organize a strike for better pay for teachers.

He campaigned on the slogan “No more poor people in a rich country” and on the promise of improving the country’s economy and reducing its chronic inequality. High poverty rates have also gotten worse during the coronavirus pandemic, rising by about 10 percent, one of the steepest increases not just in Latin America but in the world, according to Hugo Nopo, a senior economist at the World Bank.

But though he cast himself as a clean break from the country’s corrupt past, he quickly became embroiled in scandal and failed to keep many of his promises.

Why was he facing impeachment?

For years, Peru has been hobbled by political corruption that has led to six presidents since 2016. Mr. Castillo’s tenure only worsened the sense of political dysfunction.

He named five different cabinets and cycled through more than 80 ministers, some of whom lacked relevant skills or experience and faced investigations related to corruption, domestic violence and murder.

Mr. Castillo himself was the target of six criminal investigations, including over accusations that he led a criminal organization to profit off government contracts and claims he repeatedly obstructing justice.

He denied the charges, and some of his supporters say that he was the victim of a concerted effort to reinstate the former ruling elites.

Federal lawmakers had tried to impeach Mr. Castillo twice before, and the third vote was planned after he earlier threatened to dissolve Congress.