Peru’s Congress removes acting president José Jerí

Peru’s Congress voted to remove acting President José Jerí from office, approving multiple censure motions against him, according to local media reports.

The vote took place Tuesday during an extraordinary plenary session in Lima, where lawmakers approved a procedural motion to skip debate and proceed directly to a final vote. The censure motion passed 75 to 24, with three abstentions.

The decision requires the immediate election of a new president of Congress, who will assume the presidency during the country’s ongoing electoral period.

Congress announced that lawmakers Segundo Héctor Acuña Peralta, María del Carmen Alva Prieto, Edgard Cornelio Reymundo Mercado and José María Balcázar Zelada had registered as candidates. A vote to choose the new congressional leader is scheduled for Wednesday at 6 p.m.

Jerí left the Government Palace later Tuesday night after meeting with his ministers for the final time.

Jerí, 39, assumed the presidency in October in his role as head of Congress after President Dina Boluarte was removed from office. Boluarte had led the executive branch following the 2022 removal and detention of President Pedro Castillo.

According to CNN Noticias, Jerí had faced scrutiny over unofficial meetings with Chinese businesspeople, including one in which he was reportedly masked. Prosecutors opened an investigation into possible illegal sponsorship and aggravated influence peddling.