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JoséEnrique JeríOré[b] (born 13 November 1986) is a Peruvian politician and lawyer who served as the 65th president of Peru from 2025 until his removal on 17 February 2026,following the impeachment and removal of his predecessor Dina Boluarte.[1] Prior to assuming the presidency,Jeríwas president of the Congress of the Republic from July to October 2025,having been a member of Congress of the Republic representing Lima for the We Are Peru party since 2021.[2][3] He was the tenth Peruvian president to hold office in less than a decade,and,at the age of 38,the third youngest and the first millennial to serve as President of Peru.[1]
After the unanimous impeachment and removal of Boluarte on 10 October 2025 amidst the 2025 Peruvian protests,Jeríassumed the presidency in his capacity as head of the legislative branch.[6] In his inaugural speech,Jerípledged to "install and lead a government of transition,empathy,and national reconciliation",and said that the nation "must declare war on crime".[6][7]
The Peruvian Congress approved the censuring of Jerífrom the position of president of Peru under a vote of no confidence on 12 February 2026. Unlike impeachment,which requires a supermajority of 26 in the 120-member legislature,censuring strips him of his title as head of Congress with a simple majority. His interim status was then used to remove him from the presidency.[8] Jeríbecame the sixth president removed by Congress after Guillermo Billinghurst (1925),Alberto Fujimori (2001),Martín Vizcarra (2019),Pedro Castillo (2022),and Boluarte (2025). He was the fourth president to be removed in the 2020s.[9][10]
Since 2013,he has been affiliated with the political party We Are Peru. As a member,he served as youth secretary and alternate legal representative. He is currently the party's first vice president since September 2021.[12]
He served as president of the Budget Committee during the 2023–2024 legislative year. He served as spokesperson for the We Are Peru party. He was one of the congressmen who supported the dismissal of the fiscal investigations into Dina Boluarte.[16]
Following his controversial election as President of Congress due to his background,Jerístated in an interview with the Peruvian newspaper El Comercio in August that he would refrain from assuming the presidency of the executive branch,according to the constitutional line of succession,in the event that Boluarte were removed from office by Congress. He expressed the following for such a scenario (translated from Spanish):[17][18]
"I was elected to be President of Congress. I'm not going to say I'm unaware of the procedures of constitutional succession, right? But from my perspective, the presidency should be constitutionally renewed on July 28, 2026. If that scenario you mention were to occur, I would personally refrain from assuming it."[17][18]
Amidst the 2025 Peruvian protests and after the unanimous impeachment and removal of Dina Boluarte on 10 October 2025, owing to persistent political scandals throughout her presidency and a mismanaged crime wave earlier in the month, José Jerí immediately ascended as President of Peru. With Boluarte having no vice presidents, Jerí, as president of the legislature, stood next in the line of succession established in the Peruvian Constitution.[6][19][20] He became the eighth individual to serve as President since the resignation of Pedro Pablo Kuczynski in 2018, a span of just over seven years.[21]
In his inaugural speech, Jerí pledged to "install and lead a government of transition, empathy, and national reconciliation", and said that the nation "must declare war on crime".[6][7]
Despite the removal of President Dina Boluarte, the Congress of the Republic rejected a motion of censure against prime minister Eduardo Arana Ysa, meaning that the Boluarte cabinet carried over into the presidency of José Jerí.[1]
Jerí with Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa on 12 December 2025
Protests against Jerí grew due to allegations of sexual assault.[22] He refused to resign, stating "My responsibility is to maintain the stability of the country."[23]
On 15 October, massive demonstrations in major cities across the country denounced the explosion of crime and "corrupt elites", demanding the resignation of the president and Congress. In Lima, the protest ended in violence. One protester was killed by a plainclothes police officer and around 100 people were injured. The government declared a state of emergency on 21 October, officially to combat crime but, according to its critics, to prevent the protests from continuing.[24][25]
On 28 November, Jerí declared a state of emergency in areas along the Chile–Peru border in response to an influx of migrants exiting Chile,[26] predominantly Venezuelans. Large numbers of Venezuelans attempted to leave Chile and enter Peru following threats of mass expulsion from Chilean President-elect José Antonio Kast.[27]
On 14 February 2026, it was announced that Jerí was under investigation for illicit enrichment for a second time. He was accused of influence peddling after the revelation of secretive meetings with Chinese businessmen outside of any official framework.[28] Three days later, on 17 February, Jerí was removed from the presidency by the Peruvian Congress in a 75–24 vote, with 3 abstentions, following a motion of censure approved weeks before the general elections.[29] He was removed as President of Congress after he failed to disclose meetings with Chinese businessmen who were under government scrutiny.[8] He was only president for four months.[30]José María Balcázar was sworn in as his successor.[31]
Controversies
COVID-19 celebration scandal
In February 2022, during the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Peru, Jerí was photographed entering a bar in the Miraflores district with a young woman who worked as an assistant in his congressional office, to celebrate the birthday of Claudia Llanos Vidal, an official from the municipality of La Molina. According to reports, Jerí was seen drinking with guests and disregarding social-distancing rules despite a decree from the Presidency of the Council of Ministers enforcing restrictions due to the pandemic.[32][33]
Alleged sexual assault case
In January 2025, Jerí was formally accused of sexual assault following a New Year's Eve party in Canta. The alleged incident took place at the Santa Rosa Casa Club in Quives on 29 December 2024, where Jerí was with a group of friends. Among the guests was Marco Antonio Cardoza Hurtado, who had arrived with a 31-year-old woman (the complainant) and another person. According to the complainant, she lost consciousness that afternoon and later woke up with pain in her intimate parts. The complaint identified both Jerí and Cardoza as suspects.[1][34][35]
The Civil Court of Canta admitted the complaint, issued protective measures for the alleged victim, and ordered Jerí to undergo psychological treatment for impulsive and pathologicalsexual behavior. Despite being temporarily suspended by his party, he reportedly failed to comply with the court order for more than five months. As a result, Attorney General Delia Espinoza filed a separate complaint for disobedience to authority, citing Article 368 of the Criminal Code.[36]
On 12 August 2025, the Public Prosecutor's Office, now led by Tomás Gálvez, dismissed the case against Jerí for the alleged assault after determining there was insufficient evidence to proceed. It was also reported that Cardoza Hurtado, the other suspect, had left Peru for France on 4 February without notifying prosecutors and failed to appear for the collection of biological samples.[37][38]
Alleged illicit enrichment
The television program Milagros Leiva, entrevista reported an alleged case of illicit enrichment involving Jerí, noting a sharp increase in his declared assets. In 2021 he declared ownership of two vehicles worth S/ 97,000 soles, but by 2024 he reportedly owned properties valued at more than one million soles.[36][39][40]
Alleged bribery accusation
The investigative television program Panorama alleged that Jerí had received a bribe of S/ 150,000 soles from a businesswoman named Blanca Ríos. The alleged payment took place in November 2023, when Jerí chaired the congressional budget committee, in connection with the approval of public works projects under the portfolio of the Ministry of Economy and Finance. According to Ríos's testimony, the payment was made to secure funding for an irrigation project in the Cajamarca region. The case also implicated congresswoman Ana Zegarra, spokesperson for the We Are Peru party, and Nahum Hidalgo, an advisor to the Somos Perú parliamentary group. Jerí denied the accusation, stating he had no connection with the person involved and declared that he would cooperate with all investigations.[41][42][43]
12"Peru Congress ousts president because of China-linked secret meetings". NBC News. 18 February 2026. Retrieved 18 February 2026. While the current head of Congress, Fernando Rospigliosi, would be constitutionally next in the line of succession, he has declined to assume the presidency. As such, legislators will have to elect a new head of Congress who will then automatically assume the presidency.
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