Peru Congress Impeaches José Jerí, Elects José Maria Balcazar Interim President Ahead of April Runoff

Peru is heading into a presidential runoff in April after a rapid sequence of removals that has left it with its eighth head of state since 2016, with the interim presidency shifting again after Congress voted to impeach José Jerí.

“Keiko Fujimori was 19 years old when she made her international debut at a 1994 event as Peru’s first lady”

CNN

CNN says Keiko Fujimori, now 51, will make her fourth attempt at winning Peru’s presidency in a runoff election this Sunday, facing the leftist candidate Roberto Sánchez.

CNN

In a separate development, RFI reports that after the removal of Peru’s interim president on February 17, José Maria Balcazar was elected by Congress and will attempt to lead the country toward the next general elections scheduled for April.

Le Monde.fr describes the instability as a spiral two months before the general elections, with Congress voting by a majority—75 votes for, 24 against—to impeach the interim right-wing president José Jeri for 'misconduct' and 'lack of aptitude' after only four months in power.

La Croix adds that the new interim president will lead the country until the next head of state takes office on July 28, after the presidential and legislative elections in April.

Le Monde.fr says Congress voted to impeach José Jeri for 'misconduct' and 'lack of aptitude' to exercise his functions, after only four months in power, and it notes that only the Fujimorist faction supported him to the end.

France 24 reports that José Maria Balcazar was elected on Wednesday, February 18, to head the Peruvian Parliament and automatically assume the interim presidency the day after José Jeri’s swift removal, with the vote recorded as 75 votes for, 24 against and three abstentions.

Courrier international

La Croix says José Jeri was the subject of two investigations for alleged influence peddling, including a secret meeting with a Chinese businessman linked to state contracts that was filmed entering a restaurant wearing a hood.

Courrier international frames the episode as a repeat of Peru’s 'presidential curse,' noting that after four months in power José Jerí was already the subject of two investigations for influence peddling and that the Parliament will elect a new president on Wednesday.

Noovo Info adds that the prosecutor's office opened two preliminary investigations into José Jerí regarding allegations of illegal sponsorship of private interests and influence peddling to the detriment of the state.

With the interim leadership set to last only until July 28, the sources tie the next phase of Peru’s political cycle to the April 12 election and the return of a bicameral Parliament, while warning that stability is not guaranteed.

“Winning the second round this Sunday (7) will be only the first step”

Folha de S.Paulo

RFI says elections in April will have 36 candidates facing off for the office of President of the Republic, and it quotes a resident in Lima saying, 'I'm not even interested in this new president. What can he do in such a short time?'

France 24 adds that the April 12 election will also see the return of a bicameral Parliament, and it quotes AFP political analyst Augusto Alvarez saying, "We cannot guarantee that the person who replaces Jeri can hold until July."

CNN reports that Fujimori is presenting her candidacy around restoring security and order, reiterating during the presidential debate against Sánchez, “We need order — order to live, order to invest, order to work,” while also citing Peru’s record of eight presidents over the past ten years.

Folha de S.Paulo says the incoming president—Keiko Fujimori or Roberto Sánchez—will have to deal with a Congress that has ousted four presidents in ten years, and it reports that a May 2025 survey by the Peruvian Studies Institute found 93% of respondents disapprove of the Congress’s performance.