By Nwanze A. Moses
In a whirlwind of political upheaval, Peru’s Congress has thrust 38-year-old lawmaker José Jerí into the presidency, making him one of the world’s youngest heads of state just hours after the dramatic impeachment of Dina Boluarte late Thursday.
Sworn in on Friday amid cheers from lawmakers and simmering public fury, the conservative Somos Peru representative now helms a transitional government until July 2026, becoming the nation’s seventh leader in nine turbulent years.
With Boluarte’s approval ratings cratering to as low as 2%, driven by rampant crime, corruption scandals, and a botched pension reform that ignited nationwide protests, Jerí inherits a powder keg.
In his inaugural address to Congress, the Lima-born lawyer struck a defiant chord, vowing to “declare war on crime” and targeting street gangs as Peru’s “main enemy.”
Jerí’s meteoric rise belies a career marked by persistence and pitfalls. A graduate of Lima’s state-run Federico Villarreal National University and holder of a private law degree, he joined Somos Peru in 2013 while still a student, enduring two failed bids for municipal office before securing a congressional seat in 2021 as a substitute for the disqualified Martín Vizcarra.
Elevated to congressional president in July 2025, his path has been shadowed by controversy: a January sexual assault allegation from a December 2024 party incident, dismissed in August for lack of evidence, and whispers of soliciting payments from companies for favors—claims he vehemently denies while pledging full cooperation with probes.
“He’s surrounded by controversies,” notes Jo-Marie Burt, a Princeton University Latin America expert, highlighting how his inexperience might expose him to influence from congressional heavyweights.
As Peru braces for potential unrest, Jerí faces an acid test with planned anti-Boluarte protests looming on October 15—though their fate remains uncertain.
Analysts like Teneo’s Nicholas Watson warn of choppy waters, recalling how interim leader Manuel Merino crumbled after just five days in 2020 amid mass demonstrations.
Yet, with broad legislative backing in Boluarte’s ouster—118 of 122 votes in one tally—Jerí has a narrow window to forge unity, combat economic woes, and restore trust in a fractured democracy.
Whether this young president’s bold promises can navigate the nation’s deepening divides will define Peru’s precarious horizon.
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