Lima.- Former Peruvian President
Dina Boluarte, removed on Thursday night by Parliament with six months to go until the new elections, reiterated to supporters this Saturday that she accepts her departure from power and wished "all the best" to
José Jerí, who succeeded her in office as the president of Congress, to form a transition government.
"In a democracy, decisions are accepted, and we do not own the positions. I wish President Jeri all the best. Hopefully, he continues to bet on the development and growth of the country, which is what should interest every Peruvian above personal or political interests," Boluarte stated.
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The removed president made these statements at the door of her house to a dozen people from the far-right group close to Fujimorism, known as La Resistencia, who came to her home to express their gratitude for not having followed the leftist project of former President Pedro Castillo (2021-2022), of whom she was his vice president, and to release former President Alberto Fujimori (1990-2000) months before his death.
"It's what counts for our sons, daughters, and future generations. We will continue from where this is, working for that vision I have of the country, an inclusive, prosperous, developing, and proud country in the world," added the former ruler, accompanied by some bodyguards.
Boluarte thanked the people who came to her home for the show of affection and highlighted her dedication during the two years and ten months she was head of state, since December 7, 2022, when she succeeded Castillo after the failed coup attempt he made to avoid a dismissal similar to the one she has now been subjected to.
"I dedicated myself to the country with soul, life, and heart without any rest, and we are leaving a country different from the one we received. We have worked within the constitutional and legal framework, strengthening our democracy and the rule of law," he asserted.
Supporters call for his "re-election"
Supporters of Boluarte gave her roses and called for her "re-election" considering that she "saved the country from communism and the 'caviares'", a term used in Peru to define the left and center-left more attached to the Rule of Law and international law.
"Thank you, Dina! Thank you, Dina! Thank you, Dina!", repeated Boluarte's defenders as they exonerated her from any responsibility in the alleged corruption and human rights violations imputed to her by the Prosecutor's Office, including at least 49 deaths in the repression of the wave of protests that arose in the country, demanding the calling of new elections.
A judge from the National Court of Justice will evaluate next Wednesday a request for a travel ban filed by the Prosecutor's Office, given the possibility that she may leave the country or seek asylum in a foreign embassy, something that Boluarte herself and her lawyer, Juan Carlos Portugal, have stated she will not do.
In addition to the deaths in protests, Boluarte has other open investigations in the Prosecutor's Office, including for alleged illicit enrichment for allegedly having received lavish gifts such as luxury watches in exchange for political favors, as well as for not reporting that she would be temporarily unavailable to perform her duties as head of state when she underwent a series of cosmetic surgeries.
The Most Unpopular in Latin America
Boluarte, the first woman to become president of Peru, was removed in an express and abrupt manner after losing the support of the right-wing parties that supported her in power, due to her enormous unpopularity, as she barely had 3% acceptance among Peruvians, according to several polls, and the proximity of the new general elections called for 2026.
Most of the leaders of the parties that suddenly promoted Boluarte's downfall have presidential aspirations, such as the mayor of Lima, the ultra-conservative Rafael López Aliaga, from Renovación Popular; and Keiko Fujimori, the daughter and political heir of former President Alberto Fujimori (1990-2000).
Almost unanimously, Boluarte's dismissal had 123 votes in favor out of a total of 130 congressmen, and in her place, the president of Congress, José Jerí, from the right-wing Somos Perú, assumed the interim head of state, becoming the seventh president of the country since 2016.
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