Peru's new president survives left-wing push to oust him

Marcelo Rochabrun, Bloomberg News on Oct 16, 2025

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LIMA, Peru — Peru’s new President José Jerí survived a push from left-wing lawmakers to oust him Thursday, following the death of a protester that occurred less than a week after he assumed the role.

Congress voted to dismiss a motion filed earlier in the afternoon that had the backing of just 20 of 130 lawmakers. Still, that it was introduced so quickly after Jerí’s swearing in underscored the volatility his new administration is already facing in a nation notorious for cycling through its leaders.

Jerí took office last week following the unanimous ouster of former President Dina Boluarte, who’d suffered from single-digit approval ratings and faced rampant criticism that she was not doing enough to handle soaring crime. He, too, was broadly unpopular, with just 5% of Peruvians backing his performance as the head of Congress before he took over, according to a September Ipsos poll.

A conservative lawyer, Jerí is set to serve as interim president until July 2026, after Peru holds general elections in April. The Andean nation has had eight heads of state in the past decade.

He vowed not to resign ahead of the vote Thursday, telling reporters that Peru must “sustain the stability of our country on the basis of dialogue and the search for unity.”

Mass protests on Wednesday were a key test for Jerí and whether his new presidency could muster support. Police threw tear gas at thousands of protesters during the demonstration, which left dozens of officers and civilians injured.

Jerí has blamed a minority of protesters for allegedly generating chaos during the protests. Prosecutors are investigating the death of the protester, a 32-year-old man who was apparently shot. No suspects have been publicly identified.