Peru’s Congress removes interim President Jerí as he faces a corruption probe

Peru’s Congress removes interim President Jerí as he faces a corruption probe 1 of 7 | Peru’s Congress on Tuesday voted to remove interim President José Jerí from office as he faces corruption allegations, triggering a fresh wave of political instability just weeks before the nation’s April presidential and congressional elections. (AP/ India Grant) 2 of 7 | Peru’s Congress on Tuesday voted to remove interim President José Jerí from office as he faces corruption allegations, triggering a fresh wave of political instability just weeks before the nation’s April presidential election. 3 of 7 | Demonstrators celebrate after Congress voted to remove interim President Jose Jeri as he faces corruption allegations outside the site where lawmakers met in Lima, Peru, Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Guadalupe Pardo) 4 of 7 | People protest against Peruvian President Jose Jeri outside the site where lawmakers are debating his removal in Lima, Peru, Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Guadalupe Pardo) 5 of 7 | The Congress building stands the day before lawmakers debate the removal of the nation’s president in Lima, Peru, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Guadalupe Pardo) 6 of 7 | Photographed through a gate, Peru’s President Jose Jeri, right, stands with Prime Minister Ernesto Alvarez during the changing of the guard ceremony at the government palace in Lima, Peru, Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Gerardo Marin) 7 of 7 | Demonstrators celebrate after Congress voted to remove interim President Jose Jeri as he faces corruption allegations outside the site where lawmakers met in Lima, Peru, Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Guadalupe Pardo) 1 of 7 Peru’s Congress on Tuesday voted to remove interim President José Jerí from office as he faces corruption allegations, triggering a fresh wave of political instability just weeks before the nation’s April presidential and congressional elections. (AP/ India Grant) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. 2 of 7 Peru’s Congress on Tuesday voted to remove interim President José Jerí from office as he faces corruption allegations, triggering a fresh wave of political instability just weeks before the nation’s April presidential election. Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. 3 of 7 Demonstrators celebrate after Congress voted to remove interim President Jose Jeri as he faces corruption allegations outside the site where lawmakers met in Lima, Peru, Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Guadalupe Pardo) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. 4 of 7 People protest against Peruvian President Jose Jeri outside the site where lawmakers are debating his removal in Lima, Peru, Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Guadalupe Pardo) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. 5 of 7 The Congress building stands the day before lawmakers debate the removal of the nation’s president in Lima, Peru, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Guadalupe Pardo) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. 6 of 7 Photographed through a gate, Peru’s President Jose Jeri, right, stands with Prime Minister Ernesto Alvarez during the changing of the guard ceremony at the government palace in Lima, Peru, Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Gerardo Marin) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. 7 of 7 Demonstrators celebrate after Congress voted to remove interim President Jose Jeri as he faces corruption allegations outside the site where lawmakers met in Lima, Peru, Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Guadalupe Pardo) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Updated [hour]:[minute] [AMPM] [timezone], [monthFull] [day], [year] Lima, Peru (AP) — Peru’s Congress on Tuesday voted to remove interim President José Jerí from office as he faces corruption allegations, triggering a fresh wave of political instability just weeks before the nation’s April presidential and congressional elections.Jerí is under a preliminary investigation into corruption and influence peddling, stemming from a series of undisclosed meetings with two Chinese executives.With 75 votes in favor, 24 against and 3 abstentions, Peru’s legislature voted to remove Jerí from the position he had assumed on Oct. 10 when predecessor Dina Boluarte was dismissed as a crime wave gripped the country. Peru’s President Jose Jeri applauds after attending the changing of the guard at the government palace in Lima, Peru, Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Gerardo Marin) Peru’s President Jose Jeri applauds after attending the changing of the guard at the government palace in Lima, Peru, Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Gerardo Marin) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Jerí’s removal from office is the latest chapter in a prolonged political crisis in a country that has seen seven presidents since 2016, and is about to hold a general election amid widespread public outcry over the surge in violent crime. Lawmakers will choose a new president from among their members to govern until July 28, when the interim leader will hand over the office to the winner of the April 12 presidential election. Jerí will return to his position as a legislator until July 28, when the new Congress also takes office. A vote on the interim leader will take place on Wednesday, after lawmakers register their candidates. The accusations against Jerí stemmed from a leaked report regarding a clandestine December meeting with two Chinese executives. One attendee holds active government contracts, while the other is currently under investigation for alleged involvement in an illegal logging operation. People protest against Peruvian President Jose Jeri outside the location where lawmakers are debating his removal in Lima, Peru, Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026. The sign reads in Spanish “President Jose Jeri, traitor, immoral, rapist of women,” referring to a rape accusation case against the president that was dismissed by the prosecutor’s office in August 2025. (AP Photo/Gerardo Marin) People protest against Peruvian President Jose Jeri outside the location where lawmakers are debating his removal in Lima, Peru, Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026. The sign reads in Spanish “President Jose Jeri, traitor, immoral, rapist of women,” referring to a rape accusation case against the president that was dismissed by the prosecutor’s office in August 2025. (AP Photo/Gerardo Marin) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Jerí has denied wrongdoing. He said he met the executives to organize a Peruvian-Chinese festivity, but his opponents have accused him of corruption. Despite a revolving door of presidents, Peru’s economy has remained stable. The Andean nation had a public debt to gross domestic product ratio of 32% in 2024, one of the lowest in Latin America, and the government has welcomed foreign investment in areas like mining and infrastructure. Police stand guard outside the location where lawmakers are debating the removal of Peruvian President Jose Jeri in Lima, Peru, Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Guadalupe Pardo) Police stand guard outside the location where lawmakers are debating the removal of Peruvian President Jose Jeri in Lima, Peru, Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Guadalupe Pardo) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. As Peru heads into this year’s general election, Rafael Lopez Aliaga, a conservative businessman and former mayor of Lima is leading a crowded field that also includes Keiko Fujimori, a well known former legislator whose father was Peru’s president in the 1990s. If none of the candidates gets 50% of the vote there will be a runoff in June between the top two contenders.Lawmakers in Peru have gained increasing leverage over the nation’s executive branch over the past decade, using corruption investigations to remove presidents who have struggled to build congressional majorities.A clause in Peru’s constitution that allows presidents to be removed if they are found “morally incapable” of leading the country has been broadly interpreted by legislators and has been used several times to vote presidents out of office. Boluarte, Jerí’s predecessor, lasted almost three years in office and survived violent protests in which police killed dozens of protesters. But she eventually was removed on moral incapacity grounds, with lawmakers citing the high crime rate and corruption scandals. Pedro Castillo, a leftist union leaders who won the 2021 presidential election, was voted out of office by legislators in late 2022 after he tried to dissolve congress in order to skirt anti-corruption proceedings. Last year Castillo was sentenced to 11 years in prison for trying to overthrow the nation’s institutions.