Lima (AFP) – The Peruvian Congress will elect a new interim president this Wednesday, a day after dismissing José Jerí, in a new episode of the prolonged political instability that the country is going through a few weeks before the general elections in April.
First modification: 02/18/2026 - 15:17 Last modification: 02/18/2026 - 15:56
The Peruvian Congress elects a new president this Wednesday, the eighth in a decade, the day after the dismissal of interim president José Jerí, dismissed for lack of suitability to hold office with two months left until the presidential election.
Legislators will meet starting at 23:00 GMT to vote for a new head of the legislature, who will automatically assume the interim presidency of Peru until July 28, the date on which the government that wins the April 12 elections will take office.
Four congressmen registered as candidates, including María del Carmen Alva, former president of parliament in 2021 and spokesperson for the Popular Action party.
The other candidates are José Balcázar, left-wing parliamentarian; Edgard Reymundo, a socialist with a long career; and Héctor Acuña, representative of a party plagued by corruption.
uncertain times
"We live in uncertainty," lamented Erick Solórzano, a 29-year-old doctor, who told AFP that the change of president a few weeks before the general elections accentuated the "anguish" of Peruvians without resolving the problems of daily life.
Since 2016, Peru has been going through a crisis of institutional instability characterized by a dominant legislative power over a weak Executive.
Read alsoPeru's perfect storm: Congress debates the dismissal of interim president José Jerí
Of the last seven presidents, four were impeached by Congress and two resigned before suffering the same fate. Only one was able to finish his interim term.
Edgardo Torres, a 29-year-old industrial engineer, considered that "presidents do not last because of the issue of corruption." "We need a leader in such an unstable country," he said.
Congress dismissed Jerí on Tuesday for "misconduct in his duties and lack of suitability" to hold office, after a lightning impeachment trial.
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Jerí fell into disgrace in January when the prosecutor's office opened an investigation for alleged "influence peddling and illegal sponsorship of interests" after learning of a covert meeting with a Chinese businessman who does business with the government.
His situation was complicated this month with another investigation into "influence peddling" for his alleged intervention in the hiring of nine women in his government.
His mandate was to guarantee the transparency of the presidential and legislative elections in April.
"This crisis could be an electoral burden for the parties that placed Jerí in the presidency, such as Keiko Fujimori's Fuerza Popular," Fernando Tuesta, a political scientist at the Catholic University, told AFP.
Jerí, 39, replaced Dina Boluarte in the presidency on October 10, dismissed in an express impeachment trial in which her inability to resolve a wave of extortion and murders for hire was alleged.
Jerí faced up to seven requests for censure promoted by the minority leftist opposition and a block of right-wing parties.
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