LIMA: Peru’s Congress voted early Friday to oust President Dina Boluarte, ending her turbulent tenure amid public fury over soaring crime and political unrest. The 61-year-old leader was swiftly replaced by 38-year-old lawyer and Congress president José Jerí, who was sworn in minutes after the vote as interim president.Lawmakers moved quickly after Boluarte failed to appear before the chamber late Thursday to defend herself in an impeachment trial. Out of 130 members, 124 voted to remove her, with none opposing the motion. The decision followed hours of debate and came just after a deadly shooting at a concert in Lima further inflamed public anger over rising violence, as reported by AP.Boluarte, Peru’s first female president, had been in power since December 2022 after replacing Pedro Castillo, who was impeached for trying to dissolve Parliament. Her presidency was marked by widespread protests, corruption scandals, and mounting frustration over the government’s failure to tackle organized crime.“This crime has been brewing for decades and has been strengthened by illegal immigration, which past administrations haven’t defeated,” she said on Wednesday, partially blaming foreigners for the violence. “Instead, they’ve opened the doors of our borders and allowed criminals to enter everywhere… without any restrictions,” AP cited.Her remarks came as crime rates reached alarming levels. Between January and mid-August, 6,041 people were killed, the highest toll since 2017. Extortion complaints rose nearly 28% from last year, according to official data.Boluarte’s downfall followed eight previous failed impeachment attempts. This time, however, almost all political factions backed the motion. Prime Minister Eduardo Arana defended her in Congress, urging lawmakers to reconsider, but the appeal fell short. “We are not clinging to our positions,” he told legislators. “We knew from the beginning that our first day here could also be our last day in office.”Minutes into Boluarte’s televised address defending her record “I have not thought of myself, but rather of Peruvians,” she said, the broadcast cut to the live swearing-in of Jerí.Jerí pledged to restore order, defend Peru’s sovereignty, and oversee the transition until the next general election in April 2026, when Boluarte’s term was originally set to end.Boluarte’s exit makes her Peru’s sixth president in less than 10 years, deepening a cycle of instability that has defined the nation’s politics for nearly a decade.
