Amid a new political crisis in Peru, Congress elected José María Balcázar as interim president after the censure of José Jerí. With 60 votes in the second round, the leader of Perú Libre, the same party that brought Pedro Castillo to power before his removal in 2022 for attempting to dissolve Congress, will lead the transition until the 2026 general elections.
The session was marked by last-minute negotiations and a climate of high tension. In the first vote, no candidate reached the necessary majority, which forced a runoff between the two most-voted candidates. In that instance, Balcázar consolidated support from the left and added key backing from other caucuses, such as sectors of Alianza para el Progreso and Podemos Perú.
The election marks the return of the coup-plotting and communist party Perú Libre to the center of political power. It is the same group that brought Pedro Castillo to the presidency in 2021 and that was severely weakened after his removal in 2022. Now, in a scenario of parliamentary fragmentation and institutional crisis, the party once again occupies the head of state, although on an interim basis.
Balcázar is a lawyer by profession and a congressman for Perú Libre. His public image is not free from controversy. In the past, he caused controversy with statements defending child marriage, in the context of the discussion of a law to prohibit it. The legislator later maintained that his words had been "taken out of context" and reiterated that he doesn't regret what he said.
