José Jerí Appointed as President of Peru After Dina Boluarte's Impeachment

On Friday morning, the plenary session of the Peruvian Congress approved, unanimously with 122 votes, the removal of de facto President Dina Boluarte on the grounds of “permanent moral incapacity.” The decision, justified by the parliamentarians on the basis of the government’s inability to combat citizen insecurity and resolve the social crisis, marks a new chapter in the intense political instability gripping the country for decades.

The same Friday, following the constitutional order of succession, the parliament appointed the head of the legislature, José Jerí, as the president of Peru at an inauguration ceremony held in the chamber. Jerí pledged to lead a transitional government whose primary objective will be to ensure an electoral process culminating in the transfer of power to a newly elected president in July 2026.

In his first address as president, Jerí delivered a message of reconciliation to the nation. “To all Peruvians, I offer my sincere apologies and a promise: the promise to begin building and laying the foundations of a country that, through empathy, would enable reconciliation among all Peruvians,” he declared.

José Jerí becomes Peru’s seventh president in nine years, a succession marked by impeachments, scandals, and brief terms in office. Outgoing head of state Dina Boluarte, who took power after Pedro Castillo’s impeachment in December 2022, refused to attend the plenary session to defend herself, alleging a violation of due process.

Gustavo Petro’s reaction
Colombian President Gustavo Petro, who expressed a clear position against the coup d’état against President Pedro Castillo in December 2022, reacted to the removal of Dina Boluarte on social media.

Petro criticized the political process that had brought Boluarte to power and condemned the violation of the American Convention on Human Rights by imprisoning Pedro Castillo, who remains in jail without a conviction.

“Treason was repaid with treason,” Petro wrote, referring to Boluarte’s rise to power after the coup against Castillo, and added that “there is a president elected by the people, who remains imprisoned without any conviction.”

He also urged that this issue be discussed again at the regional level, as part of a thorough review of democratic and judicial mechanisms in Latin America.

Boluarte’s Government is Leading Attacks on the Press in Peru

Who is José Jerí?
The new president of Peru is a lawyer who had a brief but turbulent political career that began in 2013 with the conservative Somos Perú party. He assumes the presidency with a burden of accusations ranging from sexual assault to illicit enrichment and bribery.

The most serious accusations against the new president:

Sexual assault allegation: Earlier this year, a woman accused then-Congressman Jerí of sexually abusing her when she had lost consciousness due to alcohol consumption. The legislator denied the allegations, and Congress declined to initiate impeachment proceedings. The Prosecutor’s Office closed the case in August for “lack of sufficient evidence” of his involvement.
Disobedience to authority and pathological behavior: The alleged rape case led to a parallel, currently ongoing proceeding in which he is accused of disobedience for failing to comply with a court order to undergo psychological treatment due to a diagnosis of “impulsivity and pathological sexual behavior.”
Illicit enrichment: In February of this year, it was revealed that Jerí’s net worth had increased by 1,000% in just three years, allowing him to acquire at least four properties, including a beach apartment. An investigation into illicit enrichment was launched in July and is still underway.
Vote-buying and bribery: Another ongoing case accuses him of allegedly being part of a group of parliamentarians who negotiated votes in exchange for favors to arbitrarily remove Attorney General Zoraida Ávalos in 2023.

Special for Orinoco Tribune by staff

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