José María Balcázar becomes Peru's eighth president in a decade

NPR News · Feb 19, 2026 · Collected from RSS

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Peru's new President José María Balcázar, front right, leaves at Congress a day after voting to remove interim President Jose Jeri from office in Lima, Peru, Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026. Guadalupe Pardo/AP hide caption toggle caption Guadalupe Pardo/AP LIMA, Peru — Peru's Congress late Wednesday elected legislator José María Balcázar as the country's eighth president in a decade, replacing another interim leader who was ousted the previous day over corruption allegations just four months into his term. Balcázar, an 83-year-old former judge representing the leftist Perú Libre party, defeated three other candidates with a majority of the 130-member legislature. The revolving-door presidency in Peru reflects a political crisis fueled by a lack of legislative majorities for leaders. Lawmakers have frequently used a broad interpretation of a constitutional article regarding "permanent moral incapacity" to remove sitting presidents. Balcázar, a retired judge with nearly 30 years of experience in the judiciary, was sworn in shortly after the vote by the president of the Congress, Fernando Rospigliosi. He will govern for five months before handing over power to the winner of upcoming elections. Peruvians will choose a new president and legislature on April 12. If no presidential candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, the two front-runners will advance to a runoff in June. Balcázar's successor will confront a surge in murders and extortion that continues to devastate small business owners and the working class. Various political groups are demanding firm guarantees for a transparent election. Balcázar told journalists that he will ensure that the upcoming elections are "unquestionable," that macroeconomic policies will remain unchanged, along with sound monetary policy "so that economic agents can work without concern," and that he will seek to refocus the fight against organized crime. Congress had voted Tuesday to remove conservative interim President José Jerí after four months in office. The current Congress, which began its term in 2021, has now impeached three heads of state: Pedro Castillo, Dina Boluarte and Jerí. In October 2025, Jerí was serving as president of Congress and was next in the line of succession to replace Boluarte, who had no vice presidents. His own removal followed revelations regarding his undisclosed meetings with Chinese business owners, including a state contractor. Jerí asserted he was merely coordinating a Peruvian-Chinese festival. The Public Prosecutor's Office has launched two preliminary investigations into Jerí over allegations of illegal sponsorship of private interests and influence-peddling to the detriment of the state.