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First modification: 02/18/2026 - 18:00

After the departure of José Jerí, Congress will elect the eighth interim president of Peru in just ten years, just two months before the general elections. Would it be in Peru's best interest to remove another president? We analyzed it in El Debate on France 24.

The departure of interim president José Jerí deepens a long-standing crisis in Peru. Legislators presented seven motions of censure, which the plenary session approved, after the scandals over reserved meetings with Chinese businessmen investigated, in a case known as “Chifagate.” Finally, Congress removed José Jerí from the interim presidency.

Read alsoThe Congress of Peru elects an interim president this Wednesday after the dismissal of Jerí

Ruth Luque, congresswoman of the Popular Democratic Bloc and promoter of one of the motions, defends the decision. He explains to France 24 that “censorship is the appropriate mechanism for those who also hold the presidency of Congress, as is the case of Jerí” and emphasizes that a vacancy due to moral incapacity is not the appropriate path in this case because “it applies to popularly elected leaders.”

For his part, Óscar Urviola, former president of the Constitutional Court of Peru, maintains that although the debate revolves around whether or not Jerí maintained his status as a congressman, once sworn in as president of the Republic, "he assumes all the powers recognized by the Constitution" and adds that "there is a prohibition on simultaneously exercising his functions."

In this political panorama, Peru is preparing to elect a new bicameral Congress, with the Senate and Chamber of Deputies, for the first time since the nineties. The question arises: will this new institutional design allow presidents to complete their five-year term?

While uncertainties grow about possible revenge between political parties and what will happen with respect for the popular mandate, the country continues to face urgent problems such as insecurity and social inequality.

The April elections are presented as an opportunity to redefine the political scenario. However, the question remains: will they be enough to close a decade of political crisis?

In this broadcast we are accompanied by:

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