José Balcázar, a left-wing legislator, became Peru's new president on Wednesday after Congress elected him to serve as interim head of state for the remainder of the current term, hours after the removal of José Jerí.
Balcázar, 83, a member of the Peru Libre party, assumed the presidency at a time of profound political volatility and public distrust. He will serve in an interim capacity until the winner of the April 12 general election, or a potential runoff scheduled for June, takes office on July 28.
The Peruvian Congress voted on Tuesday to remove Jerí after four months in office, following a scandal involving secret meetings with a Chinese businessman. Balcázar was not among the legislators who voted to keep Jerí in office.
His election as interim president came after Congress announced that four candidates had officially registered for Wednesday's vote. Balcázar is a lawyer and former judge whose political career has been marred by legal investigations and controversies.
Elected to Congress in 2021, Balcázar has held influential positions, including leading the special commission tasked with selecting justices for the Constitutional Court and serving on senior committees related to justice and education.
Balcázar has faced both ethical and legal scrutiny. He is under investigation by the public prosecutor's office for alleged influence peddling and was permanently expelled from the Lambayeque Bar Association in 2024 for alleged embezzlement. More notoriously, he has previously made comments in favor of legalizing child marriages for girls as young as 14. Balcázar will be the 8th President Peru has had in the last decade. With lingering poverty, instability and political mistrust it is unlikely that the future of the nation will be smooth.
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