Peruvian leader gets impeached by Congress

(MENAFN) Peruvian President Dina Boluarte was impeached by Congress early Friday, ending a three-year tenure marked by civil unrest and a spike in organized crime.

In a decisive vote, 122 lawmakers—well above the 87 needed—declared Boluarte unfit for office due to “permanent moral incapacity.” She did not appear before the chamber. The president of Congress, 38-year-old lawyer Jose Jeri, was immediately sworn in as interim president, set to serve until general elections in April 2026.

Boluarte’s legal team criticized the impeachment, claiming Congress denied her adequate time to prepare a defense.

“Due process is a right, not an illusion … We will not uphold it!” her lawyer, Juan Carlos Portugal, wrote on social media, denouncing the process as a “violation of any procedure.”

In his first statement as Peru’s seventh leader since 2016, Jeri focused on public security, the issue that contributed to his predecessor’s downfall.

“The main enemy is outside, in the streets, the criminal gangs, the criminal organizations. They are our enemies today, and as enemies, we must declare war on them,” he said.

Boluarte’s removal marks the third time Congress has ousted a sitting president since 2016, highlighting ongoing political instability in the country.

Her final message to the nation accepting her dismissal was abruptly cut off by all television channels, including state-run news agency.

Since 2016, Peru has seen six presidents before Jeri: three removed by Congress, two who resigned, and one who completed an interim term. The political crisis traces back to 2018, when Pedro Pablo Kuczynski resigned citing a “climate of ungovernability” after controversially pardoning former dictator Alberto Fujimori. Two years later, Martin Vizcarra was removed for “permanent moral incapacity” over corruption allegations, leading to Manuel Merino’s five-day presidency, which ended amid mass protests leaving two dead.

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