Peru’s Congress voted to remove interim President José Jerí on Tuesday, another sudden change at the top of a political system that has seen rapid turnovers in recent years. The decision sets up yet another round of interim leadership as Peru heads toward a presidential election scheduled for April 12, with the newly elected president due to be sworn in July 28. Lawmakers said they would respond by convening Wednesday night to choose a replacement who will lead the country during the election period.
Jerí’s removal will also extend a pattern of congressional control over Peru’s executive branch that has accelerated political instability. The interim president, like the presidents before him, was positioned to serve temporarily while lawmakers and party leaders prepared for the next election cycle—until corruption allegations and shifting legislative patience cut the mandate short.
Jerí had become interim president after Congress removed then-President Dina Boluarte earlier in October, amid rising rates of violent crime. Jerí, a 39-year-old lawyer, was elected to Congress in 2021 for Somos Peru, a small conservative party, and he had led Congress in October when lawmakers voted to remove Boluarte.
After Boluarte’s removal, Congress elected Jerí as interim president with the expectation that he would stay in office until July, when the new presidential term would begin. That timeline ended after corruption allegations surfaced and lawmakers moved to oust him, using constitutional provisions that grant them broad leverage over the executive.
The charges facing Jerí are tied to a preliminary investigation for corruption and influence peddling launched by Peru’s Attorney General’s office earlier this year. The investigation stems from a series of undisclosed meetings with two Chinese businessmen in December—one of whom holds active government contracts, and another who is under investigation for alleged involvement in an illegal logging operation. Jerí has denied wrongdoing, saying he met the executives to organize a Peruvian-Chinese festivity, while opponents have argued that the meetings amount to corruption.
Peru’s constitution includes a clause that allows legislators to remove presidents who are found to be “morally incapable” of carrying out their duties. AP reported that lawmakers have interpreted the clause broadly in recent years, often pairing it with corruption allegations and using it to remove presidents who no longer suit the interests of political parties in Congress.
Observers have described the resulting revolving door at the presidency as a continuing stress test for Peru’s political stability. Over the past decade, the country has maintained relatively stable economic policies, including modest fiscal spending, and it has attracted foreign investment in sectors such as mining and infrastructure. But concern has also grown that Congress—now widely seen as increasingly powerful—has passed legislation that threatens the independence of Peru’s judiciary.
As Jerí’s removal leaves the country with another interim vacancy, lawmakers are scheduled to choose a new interim president Wednesday night. Four candidates have been nominated by coalitions within Congress that span the ideological spectrum.
Among those candidates is Rafael López Aliaga, a conservative businessman and former mayor of Lima, who AP said is currently leading a crowded field. Other candidates include former legislator Keiko Fujimori, a three-time presidential candidate whose father was president in the 1990s.
Peru’s April 12 election will determine who takes office for the new term. If no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote in the first round, there would be a runoff in June between the top two contenders.