02/19/2026, 07:4002/19/2026, 07:40
After the dismissal of the previous President José Jerí, the Peruvian Congress elected José María Balcázar as the new President of the Parliament and thus the acting head of state. The majority of MPs voted in the runoff for the candidate of the left-wing Perú Libre party. He will lead the government until July, when the winner of the next presidential election takes office.
Peru’s new interim president José María Balcázar.Image: EPA EFE
Jerí had lost a vote of no confidence the day before after just four months in office. As the then speaker of parliament, Jerí took over the reins of government in October after President Dina Boluarte was deposed. He came under pressure over unofficial meetings with Chinese businessmen and alleged irregularities in the hiring of women to government positions.
The political situation in Peru is extremely unstable. Balcázar is already the eighth president in almost ten years. The last Peruvian president to complete his five-year term was Ollanta Humala, who ruled from 2011 to 2016. (sda/dpa)