Peru"s Marxist ruling Peru Libre party, which has clashed with President Pedro Castillo over policy, said on Monday it would however back the center-left leader against what it called a "coup" impeachment vote led by right-wing opposition parties. The Andean country"s fragmented Congress plans to vote this week to decide whether or not to launch an impeachment trial against Castillo, who took office at the end of July. It would need 52 votes from 130 legislators to proceed, and a higher threshold of 87 votes to then force the president out of office. "Peru Libre forcefully rejects the motion for presidential vacancy, promoted and led by the fascist sectors of the country," the party, which has 37 seats in Congress, said in a statement, a major boost for Castillo"s survival chances. "Peru Libre recognizes that it has serious disagreements with the "caviar" government of Pedro Castillo, but that does not justify being a participant in a coup against democracy, even when it has its questionable defects." Officials in the Marxist party had said before that they would evaluate the issue. Castillo"s relationship with his party chilled in October when it said he had shifted to "center-rightism" after adding moderate leftists into the Cabinet. Peru has had five presidents since 2016. In 2018 Pedro Pablo Kuczynski resigned from the presidency minutes before an impeachment vote that he was sure to lose, while Martin Vizcarra was removed after two impeachments last year.