Peru’s Congress moves forward with process that could oust President José Jerí

Peru has the 7th head of state in 10 years after Congress dismisses Dina Boluarte The Peruvian Congress gathered enough signatures this Thursday (12) to start the debate on the removal and censure of President José Jerí. The request was forwarded to the President of Parliament, who must convene an extraordinary session within 15 days. Jerí is the target of an investigation after the revelation of meetings outside the official agenda with Chinese businessman Zhihua Yang. The meetings took place on December 26 and January 6, according to local press. In Peru, the president’s commitments are usually recorded on the official agenda. The omission generated criticism about a lack of transparency and suspicions of irregularities. In addition, Yang has a series of stores and runs the concession for an energy project. In a message recorded in January, Jerí apologized for one of the meetings, a dinner at a Chinese restaurant in Lima. The president said that the meeting was to coordinate the celebration of another anniversary of friendship between Peru and China. The president also denied having received any irregular request. Hours after the public apology, however, the existence of a second meeting came to light. Just last month, the opposition announced that it would present a motion for impeachment or censure against the 39-year-old president. According to the newspaper “La República”, Congress leaders are already discussing who will take on the role. If Jerí is removed, his successor would only be in office until July 28th, as the country has elections scheduled for April 12th. Peru is experiencing a prolonged political crisis. In the last eight years, the country has had seven presidents, including resignations and dismissals. Jerí took office in October 2025, after Congress removed Dina Boluarte. The president of Peru, José Jerí, on October 10, 2025 REUTERS/Angela Ponce

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