The Peruvian president, Dina Boluarte, was dismissed this Thursday, October 9, after an impeachment procedure before Parliament, after the presentation of several motions in that regard, in a context of security crisis in the country.
“The dismissal of the president has been approved,” announced the president of Parliament, José Jerí, at the end of a brief session to which Dina Boluarte did not attend, although she was summoned.
To be removed from office, the head of state had to see that at least 87 of the 130 deputies that make up the Peruvian Parliament voted in favor of her dismissal. According to information from La República, 123 deputies voted in favor of this dismissal.
“Permanent moral incapacity”
The motions cited a “permanent moral incapacity” of the president to perform her duties, according to documents read at the opening of the parliamentary session. Dina Boluarte has already been the subject of several impeachment attempts, without any success. This time the procedure could go further, since the right-wing and far-right parties that supported it until now have abandoned it.
The president of the unicameral Parliament, dominated by the right and the extreme right, now assumes interim power until the general elections in April 2026. Peru is going through the worst period of political instability in its modern history, with six presidents in almost nine years. Coming to power after the dismissal of President Pedro Castillo, in a context of violently repressed demonstrations that left at least 50 dead, Dina Boluarte experienced record unpopularity.
“Constant fear”
Her tenure was also marred by several issues, including the “Rolexgate” scandal, involving luxury watches and jewelry that she would not have declared, and a rhinoplasty performed in July 2023 that was kept secret even though she was required by law to report to Parliament.
In recent weeks, anti-government demonstrations have increased in Lima amid a wave of extortions and murders attributed to organized crime. This new political crisis comes as a music group was the target of a shooting Wednesday afternoon in the capital that left five people injured, including four musicians.
Authorities have not yet determined whether the attack was related to the scourge of extortion. However, the president of the Association of Artists and Businessmen of Peru, Walter Dolorier, assured that the musicians had received “threats” from criminal groups.
“We Peruvians live in constant fear (…) and this is not a political maneuver, but the consequence that we do not have a real leader, only frivolity,” denounced representative Norma Yarrow, of the right-wing Popular Renewal party. If Dina Boluarte were removed, she would lose her immunity and be exposed to possible lawsuits that could land her in prison.
Source: BFM TV
