Peru Elects New Interim President Amid Political Crisis & Impeachment Wave
José María Balcázar, of the Peru Libre party, was elected interim president of Peru by the Peruvian Congress on Wednesday, February 19, 2026, following the impeachment of José Jerí just one day prior. Balcázar secured the position with 64 votes to 46 for María del Carmen Alva of Acción Popular, according to reports from BBC News Mundo and El País.
The move comes amid a period of intense political instability in Peru, with Jerí becoming the seventh president since 2016 to be removed from office before completing a full term. Jerí had been in office for only 130 days, having replaced Dina Boluarte, who was as well impeached, according to El País.
The impeachment of Jerí occurred after the Public Prosecutor’s Office opened investigations into his alleged relationships with a Chinese businessman and the hiring of nine women for government positions. While no judgment was rendered on these cases, and the investigations remain ongoing, the Congress proceeded with the impeachment based on accusations of “functional misconduct and lack of aptitude,” as reported by El País.
Balcázar, 83, previously served as a magistrate and provisional supreme judge of the Supreme Court of Justice of Peru, and was elected to Congress in 2021 representing Lambayeque. His term as a legislator is set to expire in 2026, according to CNN Español.
The election of Balcázar marks a return to power for the leftist Peru Libre party, which previously held the presidency with Pedro Castillo, who was subsequently removed from office and sentenced for attempting to dissolve Congress in 2022. CNN Español reported that Balcázar’s victory followed two rounds of voting, as no candidate secured a majority in the first round.
Political scientist Paula Távara, in an interview with El País, described the frequent use of impeachment as a reflection of a “parliamentary system” that has developed in Peru over the past decade. She noted that the process began with Pedro Pablo Kuczynski’s election in 2016, when he faced an opposition-controlled Congress led by Keiko Fujimori’s Acción Popular party.
Since Kuczynski’s removal, subsequent presidents – Martín Vizcarra, Manuel Merino, and Francisco Sagasti – have also faced impeachment proceedings or resigned amidst political turmoil. Vizcarra was later sentenced to 14 years in prison for corruption, while Castillo received an 11-year sentence for attempted coup d’état. Boluarte faced pressure from protests related to insecurity.
Peru is scheduled to hold presidential and legislative elections in the coming months, with the new president expected to assume office on July 28. The upcoming elections will also reinstate a bicameral Congress, which had been dissolved by the former dictator Alberto Fujimori. According to Citigroup economist Esteban Tamayo, the bicameral system may make future impeachment processes more difficult, requiring consensus between two legislative chambers.