Peru’s Congress is set to elect a new interim president on Wednesday, two months before the April presidential vote, after lawmakers removed interim President José Jerí in a swift impeachment process late Tuesday.
Jerí was ousted by 75 votes to 24 with three abstentions in a special congressional session, far exceeding the 58-vote threshold required for removal, authorities said. His departure ended a more than 24-hour power vacuum that was unprecedented in Peru’s recent political history.
Parliamentarians will choose the new speaker of Congress, who is constitutionally required to lead the country until the next elected head of state takes office on July 28. Four candidates – José Balcazar, Hector Acuna, Edgar Reymundo and Maria del Carmen Alva – were registered for the vote.
Jerí, a right-wing politician who had served just over four months after taking office following the impeachment of his predecessor, faced multiple motions of censure accusing him of “functional unsuitability” and lack of capacity to govern amid the approaching election.
Peru has experienced chronic political volatility in recent years, with frequent leadership changes and a dominant Congress, and only a few leaders completing their full terms.
