Peru in Crisis after Congress Ousts President José Jerí in Seventh Impeachment This Decade

The Slate Bureau

Peru’s fragile democracy was pushed to the brink once again today as the national Congress voted overwhelmingly to impeach interim President José Jerí after just 124 days in office. The move, which marks the seventh time a Peruvian head of state has fallen since 2016, has plunged the Andean nation into a familiar cycle of constitutional chaos and sparked immediate street protests in the capital.

The impeachment motion, passed with 102 votes in the 130-member legislature, cited "permanent moral incapacity"—a broad constitutional clause that has become the standard weapon of Peru’s hyper-fragmented Congress. The specific catalyst for Jerí’s downfall was a burgeoning corruption probe involving allegedly illicit government contracts awarded during his brief tenure, though the President has dismissed the allegations as a "legislative coup" orchestrated by political rivals.

As the news broke, thousands of Peruvians gathered in Lima’s Plaza San Martín, clashing with riot police. The public’s anger is directed not just at the ousted President, but at a political class that appears more interested in internal feuding than addressing the country’s stagnant economy and rising crime rates. "We don't want another President; we want a new system," shouted one protest leader through a megaphone, echoing the sentiments of a population exhausted by chronic instability.

International observers, including the Organization of American States (OAS), have expressed "deep concern" over the speed of the removal process, warning that the repeated use of impeachment is hollowing out Peru’s democratic institutions. With the Vice Presidency vacant, the head of Congress is expected to be sworn in as the next caretaker leader later tonight, though few believe this will provide a lasting solution.

For global markets, the "Peruvian Discount"—the risk premium associated with the country’s political volatility—has widened. Peru is the world’s second-largest copper producer, and prolonged instability threatens to disrupt global supply chains at a time when the "Green Energy" transition demands a steady flow of minerals. As the sun set over Lima, the city remained under a heavy military presence, with the nation waiting to see if its eighth President in ten years can fare any better than the last.