Peru's Congress Votes to Impeach Interim President José Jerí
Peru's Congress has voted to impeach interim President José Jerí just four months into his term due to his failure to disclose meetings with Chinese businessmen.
The controversy emerged last month when videos surfaced showing Jerí meeting multiple times outside his official schedule with businessman Zhihua Yang, who was under government investigation.
Jerí had issued an apology for the meetings but denied any wrongdoing, accusing his political opponents of conducting a public smear campaign against him.
His removal marks him as the third consecutive Peruvian president to be ousted, following the impeachment of former leader Dina Boluarte in October of the previous year.
Since 2016, Jerí was Peru's seventh president amid a turbulent political environment characterized by a rapid succession of leaders leaving office under contentious circumstances.
Peru's Congress is scheduled to vote on Wednesday to select the next interim president.
Details of the Impeachment Vote and Scandal
Lawmakers voted 75 to 24 in favor of impeaching Jerí after a series of controversies collectively referred to as "Chifa-gate," named after a local term for Chinese restaurants.
Security camera footage revealed Jerí's meetings with Yang, a businessman who owns several enterprises and had been granted a state concession for an energy project. These meetings were first reported by local media outlets.
One video showed Jerí wearing a hooded top during a late-night visit to one of Yang's restaurants.
Also present at one of the meetings was another Chinese national who was under house arrest while being investigated for alleged connections to an illegal timber network.
Peruvian law mandates that presidents document all official activities, but Jerí failed to record these meetings.
Lawmakers' Response and Public Reaction
Ruth Luque, a lawmaker who supported the censure, emphasized the need for leadership prioritizing public interest and security.
"We ask to end this agony so we can truly create the transition citizens are hoping for," she said, according to . "Not a transition with hidden interests, influence-peddling, secret meetings and hooded figures. We don't want that sort of transition."
Pressure had been increasing for Jerí to resign following the scandal, as he faced a corruption investigation initiated by the attorney general and experienced a significant drop in approval ratings.
His impeachment adds to the ongoing political instability in Peru, which is scheduled to hold a general election in April, when a new president will assume power.
Context of Political Instability and Recent Protests
Jerí's predecessor, Boluarte, was removed after a tenure marked by protests, scandals, and a rise in gang violence.
Less than a week after Jerí took office, protests organized by young Peruvians demanding stronger action from the political class against crime and corruption resulted in one death and over 100 injuries.
