How do everyday Peruvians feel about President Jose Jeri's removal?
Peru’s Congress on Tuesday, February 17, voted to remove President Jose Jeri from office just four months after he assumed the presidency. Lawmakers cited a scandal involving undisclosed meetings with a Chinese businessman as the basis for the decision.
A total of 75 lawmakers voted in favour of removing Jeri, while 24 voted against and three abstained.
Jeri took office in October after Peru’s Congress voted unanimously to remove his predecessor, Dina Boluarte. His removal makes him Peru’s third consecutive president to be ousted. Legislators will now elect a new head of Congress, who will also assume the presidency. The appointment will mark Peru’s eighth president in as many years.
The decision extends a period of political instability that has affected the Andean nation for much of the past decade.
Journalist Juan Zapata told Global South World that when Jeri came into office last October, he pledged to fight against organised crime, “but the criminal organisations that rule in Peru, they are the allies of Jeri.”
Reports show that Peru has faced rising crime rates in recent years. In the past five years, the homicide rate increased from 5.8 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2020 to 10.7 in 2025. According to the Observatory of Crime and Violence, 29.3% more extortions were reported during the first eight months of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
