Newsnomics AJAY ANGELINA reporter | Peru has a female president for the first time, after ex-president Pedro Castillo arrested and accused of ‘rebellion’ and ‘conspiracy’.

Dina Ercilia Boluarte Zegarra, a Peruvian lawyer and politician becomes the first female president to lead the South American nation will hold her presidency until 2026.

Ms Boluarte, a 60-year-old lawyer, said she would govern until July 2026, a time 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 and said a new cabinet inclusive of all political stripes would be formed. “There has been an attempted coup … that has not found an echo in the institutions, nor in the street.”

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

The public ministry said on Wednesday evening that former president Pedro Castillo had been arrested and accused of the crimes of “rebellion” and “conspiracy” for breaking the constitutional order.

Television outlets showed the former president leaving a police station and reported he would be moved to a police-run prison