Peru’s president ousted just 4 months into office over secret China-linked meetings

Peru’s Congress on Tuesday voted to remove President Jose Jeri, ending his presidency just four months after he took office and plunging the country deeper into political uncertainty following a scandal involving undisclosed meetings with a Chinese businessman.

Lawmakers voted overwhelmingly to censure Jeri, with 75 in favour, 24 against, and three abstaining. The move strips him of his role as head of Congress, which automatically removes him from the presidency as well.

The decision makes Jeri Peru’s third consecutive president to be removed and sets the stage for yet another leadership change in a country already grappling with years of political instability.

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Scandal over secret meetings triggers downfall

The controversy erupted last month after Jeri was filmed arriving late at night at a restaurant, wearing a hood, to meet Chinese businessman Zhihua Yang.

The meeting had not been publicly disclosed, leading to concerns over transparency and influence.

The episode, quickly dubbed “Chifagate,” intensified scrutiny of Jeri’s leadership and raised broader questions about political accountability in Peru.

Political instability deepens

Congress will now elect a new leader, who will automatically assume the presidency, making them Peru’s eighth president in as many years.

The latest ouster reflects deeper dysfunction in Peru’s political system, where successive administrations have struggled to address public concerns about crime, corruption, and governance.

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Michael Shifter, president of the Inter-American Dialogue think tank, said political calculations were likely behind the decision. “It strikes me that there is no trace of high mindedness here, only electoral calculations,” he said, as quoted by Reuters. “Enough lawmakers concluded their support for Jeri would hurt them in elections, so they had to act.”

Jeri had assumed office in October after Congress removed his predecessor, Dina Boluarte, amid corruption allegations and rising public anger over crime. With no vice president in place, Jeri, then head of Congress, stepped in as interim leader.

With elections scheduled for April 12, Peru now faces another interim presidency, extending a cycle of short-lived administrations that has eroded public trust in political institutions.