Peru’s Congress voted on Tuesday to censure the country’s interim president, effectively ending the brief tenure of Jose Jeri after just over four months in office.
The extraordinary session, which convened as lawmakers were officially on legislative recess, concluded with 75 votes in favor, 24 against, and three abstentions.
Jeri, who ascended the presidency just last October following the removal of Dina Boluarte, was the eighth head of state to lead the South American nation in just 10 years.
His censure comes as national elections are scheduled to take place in just two months. The motion was propelled by an alliance between a minority leftist opposition and a bloc of right wing parties, with both sides arguing that he lacked "functional suitability" to lead the country through the upcoming transition.
Jeri’s removal was also driven by a series of corruption probes launched by the prosecutor’s office. Jeri faces two major investigations for alleged influence peddling.
The most damaging scandal involved leaked footage of Jeri arriving late at night at a local restaurant to meet Zhihua Yang, a Chinese businessman whose company had recently secured government approval for a major hydroelectric plant.
Public outcry intensified over the clandestine nature of the meeting, which was omitted from the official presidential agenda, and the fact that Jeri appeared to be wearing a hooded sweatshirt in an attempt to disguise his identity.
The second stems from a report by local media, which revealed that five women close to the president held private meetings in his personal office until midnight. According to the report, all five women subsequently secured lucrative government contracts.
While Jeri has denied any wrongdoing — denouncing the investigations as a "destabilization plot" orchestrated by his political enemies — his public approval ratings plummeted.
Fernando Rospigliosi, the current president of Congress, announced that the legislature would convene again Wednesday to elect the successor to lead the country until a new administration is sworn in.
- Agencies
