Peruvian Congress Impeaches and Removes Interim President Jerrí After Four Months in Office

Lima. The Peruvian Congress has removed interim President Jose Jerri from office. Congress removed Jerri through impeachment just four months after he assumed office. Media outlets reported that Congress dismissed him on allegations of failing to disclose meetings with Chinese businessmen.

In the vote held in Congress, 75 lawmakers voted in favor of the impeachment and 24 voted against it. A video released last month showed Jerri meeting multiple times with Chinese businessman Jihua Yang outside the official schedule. Yang is reportedly under government investigation.

One video showed Jerri arriving at Yang's restaurant at night wearing a hood. It is reported that another Chinese national, who was under house arrest in connection with illegal timber smuggling allegations, was also present at one of those meetings.

Although Peruvian law requires the president to record all official activities, Jerri was accused of failing to record these meetings. While he previously admitted to the meetings and apologized, he claimed he did nothing wrong and stated that a political smear campaign was being waged against him.

Jerri's removal marks the third consecutive presidential ouster in Peru. He took power after former President Dina Boluarte was removed by impeachment in October of the previous year. Peru has seen seven presidential changes since 2016, indicating further political instability in the country.

Congress will vote on Wednesday to elect a new interim president. Meanwhile, Peru is preparing for general elections scheduled for April amidst corruption investigations, declining public support, and growing political discontent across the country.