The Peruvian Congress approved on Wednesday the dismissal of President Pedro Castillo, who hours before had dissolved Parliament, in a decision that caused the resignation of his cabinet ministers and was denounced as a self-coup d'état.Mr Castillo, meanwhile, was arrested on his way to seek political asylum in the Mexican embassy.

The now former Head of State had violated clause 117 of the Constitution, where it is made explicit that the President can be removed in case he makes the decision to dissolve the Congress. In his place, vice-president Dina Boluarte took over.

Castillo had announced this Wednesday the dissolution of Congress and the establishment of an emergency government in a measure interpreted as a self-coup by the Vice President, high officials and political analysts.

The measure was announced a few hours before Parliament was to meet to debate its third attempt to impeach him since taking office 16 months ago.

The right-wing opposition-controlled Congress was scheduled to vote on a motion to impeach the Head of State for "moral incapacity", charges that led to the resignation of two presidents already over the last five years: Pedro Pablo Kuczynski and Martín Vizcarra.

In his last speech as President, Castillo had said: "I have never stolen a sol (Peru's currency) from my country, I am honest, a man of the countryside who is paying for his inexperience, but he has never stolen a sol".