Peru to debate removal of President Jose Jeri four months into his term

The debate comes as Jeri, who is not running for re-election, faces allegations of bribery and influence-peddling.Published On 14 Feb 2026The head of Peru’s Congress, Fernando Rospigliosi, has announced a special plenary session to weigh the removal of the country’s right-wing president, Jose Jeri.The session will take place on the morning of February 17, according to a statement Peru’s Congress posted on social media.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Train crash near Peru’s Machu Picchu kills driver, injures dozenslist 2 of 3Peruvian municipal officials say three killed in attack on informal minelist 3 of 3Peru approves emergency overhaul of state oil firm Petroperuend of listThe debate comes as Jeri’s short tenure grows mired in scandal, just four months after he took office as interim president.In October, Jeri — the leader of Congress at the time — took over as president following the unanimous impeachment of his predecessor, Dina Boluarte, on the grounds of “permanent moral incapacity”.Boluarte herself assumed the presidency after her predecessor, Pedro Castillo, was impeached for attempting a self-coup.Next week’s debate about Jeri’s future is the latest chapter in the ongoing instability facing Peru’s government. The country has seen eight presidents within the last decade, with several of them impeached or resigning before their term expired.In recent months, Jeri has become increasingly embroiled in scandal, including one colloquially known as “chifagate”, named for the Peruvian-Chinese fusion cuisine known as “chifa”.The scandal started when local media outlets obtained video of Jeri arriving late at night at a restaurant to meet with a Chinese businessman, Zhihua Yang, who previously received government approval to build a hydroelectric plant.Their meeting was not listed in the official presidential agenda, as is required under Peruvian law. Critics have questioned whether Jeri’s outfit — which had a deep hood that rendered him nearly unrecognisable — was meant to be a disguise.