Authorities in Peru have held high-level talks to try to resolve a deepening political crisis triggered by the ousting of the former president.

The Council of State, the body made up of representatives of all branches of power, and church leaders had a three-hour meeting in the capital, Lima.

Earlier, two government ministers resigned, following days of violent protests over the impeachment of Pedro Castillo on 7 December.

More than 20 people have been killed.

After the meeting on Friday evening, the head of the National Board of Justice, José Ávila, called on Peruvians to avoid violence and engage in peaceful dialogue with the authorities.

He said government ministers would be travelling to the areas where people were protesting, in order to promote such a dialogue.

The new President, Dina Boluarte, gave no statement to the press.

In another development, thousands of tourists are trapped in the south-eastern city of Cusco after protesters forced the local airport to close.

Peru has been through years of political turmoil, with the latest crisis coming to a head when Mr Castillo announced he was dissolving Congress and introducing a state of emergency.

However, his plan backfired and Congress instead voted overwhelmingly to impeach him. Mr Castillo, who is currently in detention, is being investigated on charges of rebellion and conspiracy.

He denies all the accusations, insisting that is still the country’s legitimate president.

Demonstrators are calling for the closure of Congress, the resignation of Ms Boluarte and early elections. On Friday, Congress voted against a proposal to bring elections forward to next year.

Thursday’s clashes between the army and Castillo supporters in the central Ayacucho region left at least eight people dead, health authorities said. Footage on social media showed protestors blocking main roads and airports.

Just hours later, Education Minister Patricia Correa said she was stepping down. In a Twitter post on Friday, she wrote that the “death of compatriots has no justification”, and that “state violence cannot be disproportionate and cause death”.

Culture Minister Jair Perez also resigned.

The protests are also affecting the country’s tourism industry. The mayor of Cusco told AFP news agency that about 5,000 tourists are stranded in the city after the airport there closed when protesters tried to storm the terminal.

The city is the gateway to Macchu Picchu, an ancient Inca citadel which is visited by hundreds of thousands of people a year.

About 800 tourists are also stuck in the small town at the foot of the mountain where the citadel stands because the railway line which serves it has stopped running.

Some mostly American and European tourists have reportedly left the town on foot along the train tracks in an attempt to return to Cusco.

BBC/Simeon Ugbodovon

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Peru has a female president for the first time after ex-president Pedro Castillo was impeached – hours after he tried to dissolve parliament.

Dina Boluarte – previously the vice-president – was sworn in after a dramatic day in Lima on Wednesday.

Earlier in the day, Mr Castillo had said he was replacing Congress with an “exceptional emergency government”.

But lawmakers ignored this, and in an emergency meeting impeached him. He was then detained and accused of rebellion.

Reports in local media say he was heading to the Mexican embassy in the capital when he was arrested.

Ms Boluarte, a 60-year-old lawyer, said she would govern until July 2026, which is when Mr Castillo’s presidency would have ended.

Speaking after taking the oath of office, she called for a political truce to overcome the crisis which has gripped the country.

“What I ask for is a space, a time to rescue the country,” she said.

Wednesday’s dramatic chain of events began with President Pedro Castillo giving an address on national television in which he declared a state of emergency.

He announced that he would dissolve the opposition-controlled Congress, a move which was met with shock both in Peru – several ministers resigned in protest – and abroad.

The head of the constitutional court accused him of launching a coup d’etat, while the US “strongly urged” Mr Castillo to reverse his decision.

Peru’s police and armed forces released a joint statement in which they said they respected the constitutional order.

Mr Castillo tried to dissolve Congress just hours before it was due to start fresh impeachment proceedings against him – the third since he came to office in July 2021.

In his televised address he said: “In response to citizens’ demands throughout the length and breadth of the country, we have decided to establish an exceptional government aimed at re-establishing the rule of law and democracy.”

He said that “a new Congress with constituent powers to draw up a new constitution” would be convened “within no more than nine months”.

But Congress, which is controlled by parties opposed to Mr Castillo, convened an emergency session and held the impeachment vote Mr Castillo had been trying to prevent.

The result was overwhelming: 101 voted in favour of impeaching him, with only six against and 10 abstentions.

After the impeachment, Mr Castillo was seen on police premises.

In the photos – which were shared by police on Twitter but subsequently deleted – he could be seen sitting, seemingly relaxed, and chatting with others. The footage was then released of Mr Castillo signing papers with prosecutors.

He was later detained and accused of rebellion for breaking the constitutional order.

Peru has been going through a rocky political period, with multiple presidents ousted from office in recent years. In 2020, it had three presidents within the space of five days.

Mr Castillo, who is a left-wing former school teacher, was elected in June 2021 in a polarising election in which he defeated his right-wing rival, Keiko Fujimori.

He had recently been fighting allegations of corruption, which he said were part of a plot to oust him.

BBC/Simeon Ugbodovon

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