Who is José Jerí: the congressman who assumed the presidency of Peru

Peru is mired in political instability. In a historic unanimous vote, the Congress of the Republic removed President Dina Boluarte Zegarra from office for "permanent moral incapacity", with 121 votes in favor, no abstentions, and no votes against. Thus, Boluarte becomes the sixth head of state in less than a decade to leave office amid accusations of corruption and institutional crisis.

The presidential succession immediately fell to the president of Congress, José Jerí Oré, who was sworn in during the early hours of October 10, 2025, as the new head of state. However, his rise to power is marked by controversy: Jerí was accused of sexual assault at the beginning of this year, in a case that was closed in August by the acting Supreme Prosecutor Tomás Gálvez, who is now the Attorney General.

 

According to the prosecutor's resolution accessed by the media, Gálvez decided not to initiate a preliminary investigation, stating that "there are no indications or factual data, even at the level of revealing suspicion, that would link the accused Jerí Oré to the reported events". The key argument was the result of a DNA test that determined the biological samples found on the victim did not match those of the congressman.

The complaint that shocked public opinion dates back to January 1, 2025, when a woman claimed she had been sexually assaulted during a New Year's Eve party in the district of Canta. According to her testimony, she lost consciousness after consuming alcohol and woke up with pain in her intimate areas, finding a garment belonging to Congressman Jerí near her.

The victim described her assailant as "a bald man with a beard," features matching those of the current president. She also stated that the politician had previously tried to court her at other gatherings. The case file also mentioned Marco Antonio Cardoza Hurtado, a businessman and Jerí's political uncle, who was included in the investigation and fled to France in February 2025, with no record of return to the country.

He also faces a corruption complaint related to his time on the Congress Budget Committee. Businesswoman Blanca Ríos reported that during his tenure, a bribe of S/150,000 was paid to his circle to include a project in the Ministry of Economy and Finance's budget.

Who is José Jerí

Born on November 13, 1986, in the Lima district of Jesús María, José Jerí Oré is a lawyer who graduated from the Universidad Nacional Federico Villarreal, with a degree obtained from the Universidad Inca Garcilaso de la Vega. Of Catholic convictions, he has a partner but is not married and has no children.

He has been a member since 2013 of the right-wing party "Somos Perú", in which he has held various positions and participated in municipal elections. In 2021, he entered Congress as a substitute after the disqualification of Martín Vizcarra, with 11,600 preferential votes. During his time in Parliament, he promoted initiatives in security, employment, economy, university education, health, fishing, and sports, and chaired the Budget Committee between 2023 and 2024.

At the beginning of 2025, he faced a sexual assault complaint, which was closed in August due to lack of evidence. "I can say that what I had already told you has been confirmed, that I had no direct or indirect involvement; and this prosecutorial statement proves my complete innocence," he declared at the time.

Very active on social media, especially Instagram, he defines himself as "lawyer and animal rights advocate", and often shares parliamentary activities and institutional messages.

Now as president, José Jerí delivered a message to the Nation appealing for "national reconciliation" and promising to "restore trust between citizens and institutions". He assured that his priority will be to "fight crime" and "unite the country in difficult times."

His controversial history on social media

Just hours after taking office, he was at the center of a new scandal in Peru. Social media users discovered that the president was following dozens of models, porn actresses, and adult content creators from his official Instagram account, including Mia Khalifa and Brazzers. The controversy quickly went viral and the nickname "Pajerí" began to circulate, alluding to his improper conduct and history of excesses.

Jerí tried to contain the reputational damage by unfollowing more than 200 accounts linked to the pornography industry, although the incident had already gained international attention. The episode deepens the legitimacy crisis facing the new president, who comes to power amid legal complaints, suspicions of corruption, and now a sexual scandal that exposes the lack of integrity in much of Lima's political class.