Peru's Congress removes interim President Jerí as he faces a corruption
probe
[February 18, 2026]
By FRANKLIN BRICEÑO and MANUEL RUEDA
LIMA, Peru (AP) — Peru’s Congress voted Tuesday to remove interim
President José Jerí from office as he faces corruption allegations,
triggering a fresh wave of political instability just weeks before the
nation’s April presidential and congressional elections.
Jerí is under a preliminary investigation into corruption and influence
peddling, stemming from a series of undisclosed meetings with two
Chinese executives.
With 75 votes in favor, 24 against and three abstentions, Peru’s
legislature voted to remove Jerí from the position he had assumed on
Oct. 10 when predecessor Dina Boluarte was dismissed as a crime wave
gripped the country.
Jerí’s removal from office is the latest chapter in a prolonged
political crisis in a country that has seen seven presidents since 2016,
and is about to hold a general election amid widespread public outcry
over the surge in violent crime.
Lawmakers will choose a new president from among their members to govern
until July 28, when the interim leader will hand over the office to the
winner of the April 12 presidential election. Jerí will return to his
position as a legislator until July 28, when the new Congress also takes
office.
A vote on the interim leader will take place Wednesday, after lawmakers
register their candidates.
The accusations against Jerí stemmed from a leaked report regarding a
clandestine December meeting with two Chinese executives. One attendee
holds active government contracts, while the other is currently under
investigation for alleged involvement in an illegal logging operation.
Jerí has denied wrongdoing. He said he met the executives to organize a
Peruvian-Chinese festivity, but his opponents have accused him of
corruption.
Despite a revolving door of presidents, Peru’s economy has remained
stable. The Andean nation had a public debt to gross domestic product
ratio of 32% in 2024, one of the lowest in Latin America, and the
government has welcomed foreign investment in areas like mining and
infrastructure.
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Photographed through a gate, Peru's President Jose Jeri, right,
stands with Prime Minister Ernesto Alvarez during the changing of
the guard ceremony at the government palace in Lima, Peru, Tuesday,
Feb. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Gerardo Marin)
As Peru heads into this year’s general election, Rafael Lopez Aliaga,
a conservative businessman and former mayor of Lima is leading a
crowded field that also includes Keiko Fujimori, a well known former
legislator whose father was Peru’s president in the 1990s. If none
of the candidates gets 50% of the vote there will be a runoff in
June between the top two contenders.
Lawmakers in Peru have gained increasing leverage over the nation's
executive branch over the past decade, using corruption
investigations to remove presidents who have struggled to build
congressional majorities.
A clause in Peru's constitution that allows presidents to be removed
if they are found “morally incapable” of leading the country has
been broadly interpreted by legislators and has been used several
times to vote presidents out of office.
Boluarte, Jerí's predecessor, lasted almost three years in office
and survived violent protests in which police killed dozens of
protesters. But she eventually was removed on moral incapacity
grounds, with lawmakers citing the high crime rate and corruption
scandals.
Pedro Castillo, a leftist union leaders who won the 2021
presidential election, was voted out of office by legislators in
late 2022 after he tried to dissolve congress in order to skirt
anti-corruption proceedings. Last year Castillo was sentenced to 11
years in prison for trying to overthrow the nation's institutions.
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