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Peru’s President Dina Boluarte removed from office: the curse of Peruvian presidents

dina boluarte ousted peru
© CRIS BOURONCLE/AFP

On the night of October 9, the Peruvian Congress approved the impeachment of President Dina Boluarte for "permanent moral incapacity". According to the Constitution, since Dina Boluarte did not have a vice president, the president of Congress, José Jerí, a 38-year-old lawyer, took the oath of office. Theorically, he will have to remain at the head of the country until the next presidential elections which will be held in July 2026 but will he manage to escape the curse of Peruvian presidents?


What is the “permanent moral incapacity”? 


1.Definition

The permanent moral incapacity is one of the causes that members of the Peruvian Congress can invoke to impeach a president. It is provided for in Article 113.3 of the Political Constitution of Peru of 1993 (Congress of the Republic, 2021).


Article 113.- The President of the Republic may be relieved of his duties in the following cases:


  1. Death of the President of the Republic.

  2. Permanent physical or mental disability declared by Congress, following medical advice.

  3. Conduct incompatible with the dignity of the office or moral incapacity.

  4. Acceptance of his resignation by Congress.

  5. Leaving the national territory without authorization from Congress or failing to return within the established time limit.

  6. Revocation, after having been sanctioned for one of the violations sanctioned by article 117 of the Constitution.


In Lima, March 1, 2021.


This article and procedure were inspired by the U.S impeachment. The concept of moral incapacity is the subject of much debate. Some argue that it refers to psychological or mental incapacity, others defend the idea of unethical practices. 


The problem is that no Peruvian constitution has ever defined this concept; there are no objective definitions or conditions. The term leaves a lot of room for individual interpretation and can therefore be used for political ends. 


2. The procedure for dismissal for permanent moral incapacity

The procedure for approving the removal of the President for moral incapacity is described in Article 89-A of the Rules of the Congress. Here's how it works:


Step 1:The request of dismissal is made through a text which must be signed by at least 20% of the members of Congress, that is, 26 (Congress of the Republic, 2025). The document must clearly set out the reasons and arguments justifying such a decision.


Step 2: The request has priority on the agenda and is considered by Congress before any other motion. A copy of the request must be sent to the President of the Republic.


Step 3: For a vote to be held, 40% of the members of Congress must approve the motion. If approved, the vote will take place during the next session of Congress.


Step 4: The plenary session sets the day and time for the debate and vote. Once the members of Congress have approved the organization of a vote, three days must elapse. From the third day on, Congress has 10 days to organize the vote that will decide whether or not to impeach the president. During the debate, the President of the Republic has 60 minutes with their lawyer to defend themselves.


Dina Boluarte refused to appear before Congress during the debate.


Step 5: For impeachment to be approved, it requires two-thirds of Congress (87 votes).


Step 6: The decision declaring the president's dismissal takes effect immediately and is published in the official national newspaper within 24 hours.



Why did the Peruvian Congress decide to impeach President Boluarte?


Dina Boluarte has been repeatedly criticized by the various parties for not reacting to the rising crime rates, and particularly to the October 8, 2025 attack against the cumbia group Agua Marina in the Chorrillos district, which left five injured.


Members of Congress denounced her attitude towards the rise and intensification of organized crime.


In Peru, as in many other countries, there are gangs and criminal organizations. Peru is a country through which drugs transit from Bolivia to the North American and European markets. However, the concept of organized crime is relatively new in the country (Corcuera Portugal, 2019). In 2013, the law 30077 against organized crime is promulgated; Article 2 defines the term criminal organization as such:


"...a criminal organization is considered to be any group of three or more persons who share various tasks or functions, regardless of their structure and scope of action, of fixed or indefinite duration, which is created, exists or operates, unequivocally and directly, in a concerted and coordinated manner, with the aim of committing one or more serious crimes indicated in Article 3 of this Law."


These are activities of extortion such as threats, robberies, gunshots... According to the report “Collection and Silence” published by the Peruvian Ministry of the Interior in 2025, between 2020 and 2024, the number of extortion complaints nationwide increased by 679%. The report states that this increase reflects not only a clear expansion of crime, but also a “transformation in its modus operandi.” Traditionally, extortion was associated with criminal gangs, but the report indicates that even smaller organizations are now systematically resorting to extortion methods. 


Overall, in 2023, the Peruvian National Police reported an increase of 13.2% in the number of reports of all types of crimes, compared to 2022 (National Institute of Statistics and Informatics, 2024). Peruvians consider crime to be one of the country's major problems.



The political crisis in Peru continues


Since she took office, right after the dismissal of Pedro Castillo in December 2022, Dina Boluarte had struggled to gain support from members of Congress. The media describes her as the least popular president in Latin America. Peru has many political parties, but none holds a majority in Congress (more than ten parties are represented), making it very difficult to approve projects and make decisions.


Several impeachment motions against President Boluarte had already been submitted by Congress but were rejected thanks to the somewhat fragile support of conservative parties and some left-wing allies. This time, the motion was supported by right-wing parties such as Fuerza Popular (party of Fujimoristas) and Renovación Popular. Since 2016, Peruvians have had seven different presidents. The presidential term in Peru is five years, which means that Peruvians should normally have only had two presidents. The political crisis is getting even worse...



Conclusion


peru political crisis dina boluarte dismissed

Following the impeachment of Dina Boluarte, José Jerí became Peru's seventh president since 2016. In his first presidential address to the nation, he expressed his willingness to take concrete action against crime. However, he has less than a year to implement new measures and make change, making such promises highly unrealistic.


He will have to govern until July 2026, if he manages to stay in power until next year… The 2026 presidential elections will be decisive for Peru's future. Is Peru finally ready to end this long period of political chaos and move forward?




Sources:

Congreso de la República, Proyecto de Ley n°7418/2020-CR, 2021


Congreso de la República, NOTA DE INFORMACIÓN REFERENCIAL N.° 77/2024-2025-ASISP/DIP, 2025


Cobro y Silencio: La Dinámica de la Extorsión en el Perú - Informes y publicaciones - Ministerio del Interior - Plataforma del Estado Peruano. (n.d.). Retrieved October 13, 2025, from https://www.gob.pe/institucion/mininter/informes-publicaciones/7279161


Congreso de la República, Proyecto de Ley n°7418/2020-CR, 2021


Congreso de la República, NOTA DE INFORMACIÓN REFERENCIAL N.° 77/2024-2025-ASISP/DIP, 2025


Corcuera, J. (2019). Crimen organizado en Perú: crecimiento y expansión del fenómeno extorsivo a nivel nacional. Análisis Del Real Instituto Elcano ( ARI ), ISSN-e 1696-3466, No. 65, 2019, 65, 1. https://dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/articulocodigo=6951580&info=resumen&idioma=SPA


Perú: Anuario Estadístico de la Criminalidad y Seguridad Ciudadana, 2019 – 2023 - Informes y publicaciones - Instituto Nacional de Estadística e Informática - Plataforma del Estado Peruano. (n.d.). Retrieved October 13, 2025, from https://www.gob.pe/institucion/inei/informes-publicaciones/6389092-peru-anuario-estadistico-de-la-criminalidad-y-seguridad-ciudadana-2019-2023


¿Quién es José Jerí, el inesperado nuevo presidente de Perú? | CNN. (n.d.). Retrieved October 13, 2025, from https://cnnespanol.cnn.com/2025/10/10/latinoamerica/quien-es-jose-jeri-inesperado-nuevo-presidente-peru-orix


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