President Dina Boluarte has been ousted from Peru by its lawmakers as anger mounted over surging crime and alleged corruption, reports say.
Congress chief Jose Jeri was sworn in to take Boluarte’s place after she was kicked out just after midnight Friday, hours after numerous political groups put forth motions for her removal on accusations of moral incapacity. This is not an uncommon event in recent Peruvian history—this will be the nation’s 7th president in less than a decade.
Boluarte told Peruvians just after her removal that she “called for unity” at all times, adding: “In this context, I had not thought of myself but of the more than 34 million Peruvians who deserve better.” She suffered from a rock-bottom approval rating of 2-4%, BBC reported, and dealt with routine protests, scandals and investigations, and an uptick in gang violence.
The 63-year-old leader’s much younger succesor, 38-year-old José Jerí promised to seek “reconciliation,” tackle the crime in the nation and make sure elections have “neutrality” in the next upcoming election slated for April 2026, per Associated Press.
This ousting comes just hours after a shooting at a concert in the capital, which led to five injuries and stoked anger around the nation.
Jerí’s sudden position of power came as a surprise, given that he told Peruvian newspaper El Comercio in August that he would not take Boluarte’s position if she were impeached due to his belief in “presidential institutionality and we’re so close to the end of her term,” according to the outlet.
Peruvian-based American businessman John Cobb, the Founder of Pholus Advisory, expressed great concern about the incident, noting that it brings great difficulty for investment in the region.
“This isn’t about one president’s failure. Regardless of Boluarte’s performance record, removing a head of state in under 24 hours should concern anyone who values constitutional order and predictable governance.”
He added: “When criminal organizations reach the level where they can influence who governs, you’re not just managing business risk — you’re operating in a contested governance environment.”
Investigators reportedly say they are probing funds that were allegedly funneled through Boluarte before her presidency to the fugitive leader of a political party. She’s also accused of accepting Rolex watches as bribes and assisting the fugitive head of her former Marxist party to avoid arrest.
Boluarte, the first female president of Peru, assumed her role in December 2022 after Parliament had impeached her predecessor under the same mechanism. Then-President Pedro Castillo was kicked out of the presidency two years into his five-year term, after what AP describes as an attempt to dissolve the legislature to stop his own removal.
Boluarte was Castillo’s vice president before later becoming president.
She faces potential legal hot water, as the Attorney General’s Office requested a judge to stop her from leaving the country while it investigates cases against her. The judge made no immediate ruling.
On Friday, Boluarte’s lawyer Juan Portugal informed local radio station RPP that she has no plans to seek political asylum elsewhere and was at her home in Lima.
