Peru's president removed by Congress, legislature chief sworn in

10/10/2025 15:40

Peru's lawmakers swore in Congress chief Jose Jeri as the country's new president less than an hour after unanimously voting to remove President Dina Boluarte, one of the world's least popular leaders.



The vote and swearing in ceremony took place shortly after midnight on Friday, only hours after political blocs from across the spectrum first presented motions for Boluarte's removal on grounds of moral incapacity.



Jeri, who becomes Peru's seventh president since 2016, signaled he would take a tough approach on rising insecurity, one of the major criticisms that was leveled against Boluarte. He addressed Congress wearing a sash of the national flag.



"The main enemy is out there on the streets: criminal gangs," he said. "We must declare war on crime."



The 38-year-old member of the conservative Somos Peru party, who became Congress president in July, joins the ranks of some of the world's youngest heads of state.



Crowds had gathered outside Congress and the Ecuadorean embassy, where it was rumored Boluarte could seek asylum, some in a celebratory mood waving flags, dancing and playing instruments.