Lima,Peru, 18 February (H.S.): In a seismic congressional maneuver on Tuesday ,Peru's unicameral legislature impeached interim President José Jerí after a mere four months in office, ratifying seven censure motions with a decisive 75-24 vote (three abstentions) amid swirling allegations of graft, influence peddling, and irregular appointments—marking the Andean nation's seventh presidential ouster in a tumultuous decade.

The 39-year-old right-wing politician, who ascended to the presidency on October 10, 2025, succeeding the impeached Dina Boluarte amid nationwide protests over corruption and organized crime violence, now confronts preliminary probes by prosecutors into undue influence in securing government posts for up to nine women following late-night encounters, as exposed by investigative outlet Cuarto Poder.

Jerí, formerly Congress president and constitutionally ineligible for the April 12 elections, vehemently denied wrongdoing, decrying a defamation campaign aimed at electoral destabilization, yet faced mounting scrutiny over seven impeachment bids during his abbreviated tenure.

Compounding the scandal dubbed Chifa-gate—a nod to clandestine after-hours rendezvous in Lima's Chinatown—were covert meetings with Chinese entrepreneur Yang Zhihua (Johnny), proprietor of restaurants, shops, and a hydroelectric concession, captured in compromising footage showing Jerí hooded and gesturing animatedly, prompting investigations into illegal sponsorship of interests and enhanced peddling of influence.

With over 36 aspirants vying in the crowded presidential race—led by right-wing frontrunner Rafael López Aliaga of Popular Renewal—analysts decry the moral incapacity impeachment threshold as perilously vague, fueling institutional paralysis as Peru grapples with a tenfold surge in extortions (from 2,396 in 2024 to over 25,000 in 2025), claiming scores of lives, particularly among bus drivers refusing protection rackets.

Acting Congress President Fernando Rospigliosi promptly declared the executive post vacant, paving the way for lawmakers to elect Jerí's successor on Wednesday—likely the parliamentary chief—who will helm until July's post-electoral handover, perpetuating a corrosive cycle that has ensnared predecessors like Martín Vizcarra (14-year bribery sentence) and Pedro Castillo (11+ years for rebellion).

Political pundit Augusto Álvarez warned of mediocrity and rampant corruption imperiling legitimacy, as the South American powerhouse hurtles toward yet another leadership vacuum.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar