Congress Votes To Remove President From Office

Peru’s Congress has voted to remove President Dina Boluarte from office after a late-night session to discuss her impeachment.

A large majority of lawmakers from across the political spectrum supported her removal, citing “permanent moral incapacity” as the reason.

After the vote, Boluarte spoke on national television, questioning what the decision would mean for the country’s democratic stability.

Boluarte was one of the world’s least popular leaders, with approval ratings between 2% and 4%. Her time in office has been marked by frequent protests, scandals, investigations, and a rise in gang violence.

Anti-government protests have intensified in recent months amid rising crime. Anger surged again on Thursday after a shooting at a concert in the capital, Lima.

Early on Friday, 122 out of 130 lawmakers voted to remove Boluarte, approving four separate motions of impeachment. Congress leader Jose Jeri was sworn in as interim president. Peru currently has no vice-president.

Boluarte did not attend the overnight hearing. Outside the Congress building, crowds of protesters waving Peruvian flags cheered the result.

“At all times I have called for unity,” Boluarte said after her removal. “In this context, I had not thought of myself but of the more than 34 million Peruvians who deserve better.”

Her presidency, which lasted less than three years, followed the impeachment and imprisonment of her predecessor, Pedro Castillo. Protests have been frequent throughout her time in office.

Several investigations overshadowed her leadership, including a corruption inquiry known as “Rolexgate,” which accused her of accepting Rolex watches as bribes. Another probe questioned whether she abandoned her duties during a nose surgery absence by failing to appoint a caretaker president. She denied any wrongdoing.

In July, Boluarte faced public criticism after doubling her salary to nearly 35 times the monthly minimum wage in Peru. At the time, her economy minister said her salary was still the second lowest among 12 South American countries.

Thursday night’s impeachment was the latest in a series of attempts to remove Boluarte ahead of elections scheduled for next April. Some lawmakers who voted for her removal were previously her supporters, including conservative parties.

Boluarte first became president in December 2022, after former President Castillo was impeached for attempting to dissolve Congress. She was vice-president at the time and stepped up to lead the country.

Peru’s first female president, Boluarte was the nation’s sixth leader since 2018. Three former presidents are currently in prison.

Weeks after taking office in January 2023, she and several ministers faced an inquiry over “genocide, qualified homicide, and serious injuries” following the deaths of more than 50 Castillo supporters during government crackdowns on protests demanding her resignation and new elections.

During the first three months of her presidency, there were over 500 protests against her rule.
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