Jose Maria Balcazar Elected Peru’s Interim President
Balcazar, an 83-year-old lawmaker, secured the most votes in a parliamentary session held in Lima and is set to serve as interim head of state through July 28, steering the country toward presidential elections scheduled later this year. With his swearing-in, he becomes the eighth individual to occupy Peru's highest office in the span of a single decade.
The dramatic leadership change came just 24 hours after Congress voted Tuesday to censure interim President Jose Jeri, abruptly terminating a tenure that had lasted barely four months. Lawmakers moved against Jeri on grounds that he lacked the fitness to manage the country's transition to elections, citing a series of active corruption investigations hanging over his administration.
Peruvian media and prosecutors report that Jeri is under investigation for alleged influence peddling, with scrutiny focused on undisclosed meetings he reportedly held with Chinese businessman Zhihua Yang, whose company had recently secured government authorization for a major hydroelectric project. Jeri has denied any wrongdoing.
Jeri himself had only assumed the presidency last October following the forced removal of Dina Boluarte, who was ousted amid a wave of nationwide protests and accusations of abuse of power.
The country's revolving-door leadership has done little to slow the political ambitions of Peru's major parties, which have already launched early campaign operations ahead of the July vote. Analysts, however, are sounding the alarm — warning that the country's chronic instability risks eroding public trust in democratic institutions and could severely hamper efforts to tackle Peru's pressing economic and social crises.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the
information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept
any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images,
videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information
contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright
issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
