José Maria Balcazar became interim president of Peru on Wednesday after the lightning dismissal of José Jeri the day before. He is the Andean country's eighth head of state since 2016. A presidential election is due to take place in April.
Published on: 02/18/2026 - 05:49 Modified on: 02/19/2026 - 08:30
Left-wing parliamentarian José Maria Balcazar was elected on Wednesday February 18 as head of the Peruvian Parliament, automatically becoming interim president of the country, the day after the lightning dismissal of José Jeri, in a context of chronic political instability.
Aged 83, this lawyer and former magistrate becomes the eighth head of state of the Andean country since 2016. He will lead Peru until his successor takes office on July 28, after the April presidential election. “José Maria Balcazar Zalada was elected president of the Congress of the Republic. Consequently, he will assume the interim presidency of the Republic of Peru,” announced the Parliament on its X account.
Parliamentarian since 2021, José Maria Balcazar was elected in a second vote after a first round without a simple majority for any of the four candidates in the running. He received 60 votes, compared to 46 for his centrist rival Maria del Carmen Alva.
Targeted by investigations for illicit appropriation of funds and alleged corruption, José Maria Balcazar sparked a heated controversy in 2023 by affirming before Parliament that “early sexual relations help the future psychological development of women”, during a debate on the ban on child marriage, comments denounced by the Ministry of Women and several organizations.
The stability of the eighth president is not guaranteed
The stability of the eighth president is not guaranteed, political analyst Augusto Alvarez told AFP. “We cannot guarantee that whoever replaces Jeri will be able to last until July,” he said before the vote.
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The left-wing parliamentarian assumed the interim presidency the day after the dismissal of José Jeri by Parliament by 75 votes for, 24 against and three abstentions, well beyond the required threshold of 58 votes. José Jeri faced several requests for dismissal filed by the left-wing minority and a bloc of right-wing parties, who accused him of a "lack of aptitude" to exercise his functions. In a message published Wednesday on TikTok, he assured that he was leaving "with a full heart and in peace" and indicated that he would continue his political action from his parliamentary seat. “It is not easy to resolve in a few months what has remained unresolved for decades, but each step has been taken with conviction, responsibility and commitment,” he added.
José Jeri only remained at the head of the country for a little over four months, illustrating an institutional instability marked by a dominant Parliament facing a weakened executive. Since 2016, out of seven presidents, four have been impeached by Parliament and two resigned before suffering the same fate. Only one completed his interim mandate. Dina Boluarte was dismissed after a wave of demonstrations against the surge in insecurity in the country.
The April 12 ballot, with a record number of more than 30 candidates for the supreme office, will also see the return to a bicameral Parliament.
With AFP
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