Spanish
Peru.- The Congress of Peru will debate this Tuesday, February 17, the political future of interim President José Jerí, in an extraordinary session marked by seven motions of censure against him and the possibility of a new transition of power less than two months before the general elections.
The Parliament's decision could lead to the immediate departure of the president, who took office after the vacancy of Dina Boluarte and in the absence of vice presidents. If the censure is successful, Peru would add another presidential change in a scenario already characterized by high institutional instability.
The heart of the controversy lies in the mechanism to remove Jerí from office. Although the president maintains that the appropriate procedure would be presidential vacancy, various legislators are pushing for censure, arguing that his investiture derives from his status as head of Congress.
In the Peruvian system, losing the presidency of Parliament also automatically means losing the head of state when the position is held by legislative succession. A censure motion requires a simple majority of the congressmen present, which makes it a "fast track." In contrast, a vacancy due to permanent moral incapacity requires at least 87 votes, a considerably higher threshold.
The origin of the crisis includes unregistered meetings with Chinese businessmen linked to state contracts, questions about hiring in the Government Palace, and the use of the congressional office after assuming the Presidency.
Possible scenarios
If the censure is approved, Congress must immediately elect a new head of the Board of Directors, who would automatically assume the Presidency of the Republic until the holding of elections.
Another possibility is that, before the vote, a preliminary question is raised to modify the agenda and prioritize the vacancy. Jeri's eventual resignation is also on the table, which would have to be formally accepted by the Plenary. In any case, the succession mechanism would be the same: Parliament would elect the replacement.
You can also read: Peruvian Prosecutor's Office investigates President José Jerí
Peru thus faces the possibility of the Government Palace receiving its eighth occupant in a decade, in a context of political wear and tear and parliamentary fragmentation.The names in the succession
Among the possible successors, two figures stand out: María del Carmen Alva, from Acción Popular, and José María Balcázar, from Perú Libre. Alva, former president of Congress between 2021 and 2022, is seen by conservative sectors as an option for institutional continuity, although she maintains high levels of citizen rejection due to controversial episodes during her parliamentary management. Balcázar, former magistrate removed from the Judiciary and a controversial figure within Peru Libre, would represent an ideological shift in the transition, generating concern in moderate and economic sectors in the midst of the electoral campaign.Source: Infobae
