Peru’s Congress Elects Eighth President in Decade Amid Political Turmoil

According to the International Desk of Webangah News Agency, Peru‘s Congress has selected José María Balcázar as its eighth president in the last ten years, a development reported by Mehr News Agency. This appointment follows the removal of José Jerí, who was dismissed just four months into his presidential term due to corruption charges.

Balcázar, an 83-year-old former judge and representative of the left-wing Peru Libre party, secured victory by winning a majority vote from the 130 members of the legislative assembly, surpassing three other candidates. This frequent turnover at the helm of Peru’s leadership underscores a profound political crisis within the country and a persistent lack of legislative majority for its leaders.

The Peruvian Congress voted on Tuesday to remove the interim conservative president, José Jerí. Jerí was impeached and dismissed by Congress after only four months in office, stemming from a scandal involving secret meetings with a Chinese businessman. The current Peruvian Congress, which began its term in 2021, has previously impeached three other heads of state: Pedro Castillo, Dina Boluarte, and José Jerí.