Peru’s Congress has voted to removePresident Dina Boluarte from office, hours after a late-night session was called to debate her impeachment.
An overwhelming majority of lawmakers from across the political spectrum approved her ousting on grounds of “permanent moral incapacity”.
In an address on national television following the vote, Boluarte questioned the implications it would have on the stability of Peru’s democracy.
One of the world’s most unpopular leaders, with an approval rating of 2-4%, Boluarte’s tenure has been plagued by frequent protests, scandals and investigations, as well as a surge in gang violence.
Anti-government protests have escalated in recent months amid soaring crime. There was renewed anger earlier on Thursday following a shooting at a concert in the capital, Lima.
A total of 122 out of 130 lawmakers voted for Boluarte’s removal early on Friday, following votes resoundingly in favour of four motions of impeachment.
Congress leader Jose Jeri was sworn in as interim president early on Friday. Peru does not currently have a vice-president.
Boluarte did not appear before Congress for the overnight hearing. A crowd of protesters brandishing Peruvian flags outside the Congress building erupted in cheers after the vote was declared.
“At all times I have called for unity,” she told Peruvians after being removed, adding: “In this context, I had not thought of myself but of the more than 34 million Peruvians who deserve better.”
Protests have punctuated the 63-year-old leader’s less than three years in office, which followed the impeachment and imprisonment of her predecessor, Pedro Castillo.
Her presidency was overshadowed by several investigations, including a corruption inquiry dubbed “Rolexgate” over allegations she accepted Rolex watches as bribes.
Another probed whether she abandoned her post when she failed to appoint a caretaker president during an absence for nose surgery. She has denied any wrongdoing.
In July, her decision to double her salary to almost 35 times that of the monthly minimum wage in Peru was met with scorn and derision. Her economy minister noted at the time her salary had been the second lowest of 12 countries in South America
Thursday night’s successful impeachment bid was the latest in a series of attempts to remove Boluarte from office ahead of elections next April.
“The only way of moving forward is Dina Boluarte’s impeachment,” Congresswoman Susel Paredes said in a post on X on Thursday.
Among the lawmakers who voted to remove Boluarte from office were factions once loyal to the president, including conservative parties that had previously supported her.
Boluarte rose to power in December 2022, when former President Castillo was impeached after attempting to dissolve Congress to avert his removal. She was elevated to the post as she was vice-president at the time.
Peru’s first female president, Boluarte was the Andean nation’s sixth leader since 2018. Three former leaders are behind bars.
In January 2023, weeks after taking office, an inquiry was launched into Boluarte and some of her key ministers on charges of “genocide, qualified homicide and serious injuries”.
It followed the death of more than 50 Castillo supporters in a government crackdown on demonstrations calling for her resignation and fresh elections.
In the first three months of her presidency, there were more than 500 protests over her rule
