Peru's Congress approved the president's removal in a forceful vote after several investigations against him
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Peru's Congress of the Republic approved on Tuesday the censure of José Jerí as president of the Board of Directors, in an extraordinary session held in the José Faustino Sánchez Carrión auditorium, due to the temporary closure of the chamber for work related to the implementation of bicameralism.
With 75 votes in favor, 24 against, and 3 abstentions, Parliament finalized the removal of the head of the Legislative Branch, amid a political climate marked by tension and the realignment of forces just weeks before the elections.
The measure was adopted after the admission and debate of seven motions of censure, all of which comfortably exceeded the minimum required 66 votes for their approval.
In each of the votes, support for the censure was overwhelming: 71, 69, 73, 76, 78, 74, and 72 votes in favor, respectively, compared to minority blocs against and few abstentions. The results showed the broad consensus reached among different caucuses to remove Jerí from the leadership of Congress.
El poder legislativo de Perú aprobó la moción de censura contra Jerí por 75 votos a favor, 24 en contra y 3 abstenciones
José Jerí had assumed the presidency of Parliament last October, after the removal of Dina Boluarte, in a context of high institutional instability. His time in office was brief and was marked by investigations against him, as well as by a progressive political erosion that led to the loss of support, even among sectors that had initially backed his appointment.
The progress of the motions of censure coincided with a drop in his popularity and with the beginning of a strategic distancing by several parties, which sought to distance themselves given the proximity of the elections. In that scenario, the censure was interpreted as a political move to reduce electoral costs and project a signal of internal renewal in the Legislative Branch.
It should be noted that the measure was applied to Jerí in his capacity as president of Congress, that is, as head of the Board of Directors, and not as head of state, which made it possible to activate the parliamentary censure mechanism provided for in the regulations. This way, the decision did not entail a presidential vacancy, but only a change in the leadership of the Legislative Branch.
La destitución de Jerí se produce a tan sólo 4 meses después de la destitución de Dina Boluarte
Although the censure was formalized in his capacity as president of the Board of Directors of Congress of the Republic, in practice the political effect is equivalent: by losing the headship of Parliament, José Jerí is prevented from simultaneously exercising the Presidency of the Republic, since his access to the office depended precisely on heading the Legislative Branch.
After the vote, Congress called for this Wednesday the election of his successor, who will assume the presidency of the Board of Directors in a key stretch before the general elections. The new appointment will define the parliamentary leadership in a decisive period, marked by structural reforms and by a still unstable political scenario.
