By Milenio, Daniela Pacheco. Resumen Latinoamericano October 10, 2025
Corrupt: image of Dina Boluarte
As we anticipated in this same space just a few months after Dina Boluarte illegitimately assumed the presidency of Peru, the day came when the parties that “supported” her let her go because she was no longer useful to them. Precisely because she did not govern, she was able to remain “at the head” of the executive branch for so many months.
The same corrupt economic system in Peru that screwed an inexperienced, highly unpopular woman into the presidential chair, accused of attacking her own people, of corruption, of authoritarianism, is the one that today decides that it is time for her to leave the presidency.
The president who lied when she said she would call elections within six months of taking office has been at the center of numerous scandals that reveal her political nature, such as Rolexgate; the million-dollar transfers to individuals linked to corruption cases in the Ayacucho Regional Government; abandoning her post to undergo plastic surgery; and the more than 70 deaths caused by the repression of her own people during demonstrations against her, which remain unpunished.
Now, amid a state of emergency in Lima and Callao, and amid speculation about an upcoming motion to remove her from office, Dina Boluarte announced that presidential and legislative elections will be held on April 12, 2026. The presidential election will be decided in two rounds if no candidate exceeds 50% of the votes in the first round. For the new Congress, Peruvians will once again vote for a bicameral legislature, with deputies and senators, after more than three decades with a unicameral system. This reform was enacted by the current parliament, despite the fact that 90.5% of the Peruvian people rejected it in the 2018 referendum.
Precisely for this reason, there is an interest on the part of the legislature, sustained by corruption and patronage, because its approval rating does not exceed 5%, in taking powers from the executive branch and thus shaping the future electoral process to its liking and convenience, with a view to the 2026 elections.
The continent’s worst-rated president has faced at least five motions of vacancy in Congress to date, all of which have been rejected; one of the most frequent methods of removing a president in Peru, a country that has had 11 presidents in the last 24 years. These are two deeply unpopular powers, the executive and the legislative, which protect each other in order to survive, regardless of their extremely high unpopularity and in an almost parasitic relationship.
Dina Boluarte’s fate seems to be sealed, but not because of a sudden act of justice or a democratic awakening, but because her continued presence is no longer useful to the interests of those who really hold power in Peru. Her departure does not represent a transformation, but rather another rotation within a rotten system that perpetuates impunity, looting, and the exclusion of the people from decision-making.
The Peruvian political crisis will not be resolved by a new election orchestrated by the same actors who have turned the country into a failed experiment in democracy. As long as Congress and powerful groups continue to design the rules to suit themselves, the only certainty is that the next government will be as weak, corrupt, and dependent as its predecessors. In Peru, political stability is a mirage, and corruption and authoritarianism seem to be the only constants.
Allegations of Rape and Corruption: Who is José Jerí, Peru’s New President?
José Jerí
The interim president that the Peruvian Congress elected to replace the ousted Dina Boluarte is José Jerí (38), a far-right congressman who just a few months ago was accused of “corruption” and “rape” of a woman.
Upon learning of his appointment, the Peruvian Human Rights Coordinator denounced that “no official facing serious allegations should assume the highest office of the state” and demanded “no more impunity in power.”
Jerí is 38 years old, was born in Lima, is Catholic, lives with his partner without being married, and has no children. Since 2013, he has been affiliated with the right-wing “Somos Perú” party, where he has held various positions and run in several elections to enter the Municipality of Lima, but has never been elected.
He calls himself a “lawyer and animal rights activist” and is very active on social media. He won a seat in Congress, but as a substitute for former President Martín Vizcarra (2018-2020). He was then elected president of Parliament and today was sworn in as the highest magistrate despite being involved in two scandals:
He was accused of benefiting a company while he was a member of the Parliament’s Budget Committee, and earlier this year, a woman reported him for “sexual assault” along with another man during a social gathering in the district of Canta.
Jerí denied the latter accusation and was acquitted two months ago. Despite this, he was questioned by human rights organizations.