Peru's Congress Ousts Interim President José Jerí
Peru's Congress voted 75-24-3 to remove interim President José Jerí amid corruption probes over secret meetings with Chinese businessmen ahead of the April 12 presidential election.
Overview
Peru's Congress voted 75 in favor, 24 against and 3 abstentions to remove interim President José Jerí, who had assumed the presidency on Oct. 10, lawmakers said.
The removal followed a preliminary investigation by the Attorney General's office into alleged corruption and influence peddling tied to undisclosed meetings Jerí held with Chinese businessmen, a controversy dubbed 'Chifagate'.
Security-camera footage showed Jerí meeting Zhihua Yang and another Chinese businessman, and one attendee, Ji Wu Xiaodong, is under investigation and had been placed under house arrest, prosecutors said.
Jerí denied wrongdoing and said the meetings were to organize a Peruvian-Chinese festivity, while opponents accused him of influence peddling, according to his statements and congressional debate.
Legislators will vote on Wednesday evening to elect a new interim president to lead until the April 12 election winner takes office on July 28, officials said.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources present this coverage neutrally: they use factual descriptions (charges and Jerí's denial), explain the constitutional 'moral incapacity' clause, and provide context—frequency of presidential turnover and economic figures. Editorial choices are restrained; occasional phrases like 'revolving door' summarize events rather than advance a partisan narrative.
Sources (5)
FAQ
José Jerí faced allegations of influence peddling and corruption stemming from undisclosed meetings with Chinese businessmen Zhihua Yang and Ji Wu Xiaodong.[1][2] Security camera footage captured Jerí entering a Chinese-Peruvian restaurant (called a "chifa") on December 26, 2025, and visiting a Yang-linked minimarket on January 6, 2026, neither of which were logged in his official presidential schedule.[2] The controversy, dubbed "Chifagate," centered on suspicions that Jerí may have attempted to benefit Yang by awarding contracts without transparent bidding, particularly related to a S/112 million (approximately $33 million) surveillance camera installation project for 8,000 public buses.[2] The Attorney General's Office launched a preliminary investigation after these meetings were exposed by television investigations.
Jerí's account of the meetings evolved significantly, undermining his credibility.[2] Initially, he claimed the meetings were linked to preparations for a Peru-China friendship celebration scheduled for February 1 at the presidential palace.[2] Days later, he stated he had not called the meeting and attended as a private invitee for unspecified activities.[2] Subsequently, in a late-night government video, he apologized while denying wrongdoing and revealed that Interior Minister Vicente Tiburcio had accompanied him.[2] This narrative drift—from denying knowledge of the meeting to reframing it to adding new details—suggested the president was constructing explanations reactively rather than providing transparency, which heightened suspicion among lawmakers and prosecutors.
The two Chinese businessmen at the center of the scandal are Zhihua Yang (known in Lima's networks as "Johnny") and Ji Wu Xiaodong.[3] Yang was under preliminary investigation for alleged influence peddling and corruption-related offenses, while Xiaodong was reportedly under house arrest and being investigated for alleged involvement in organized crime and illegal economic activities.[3] The involvement of individuals with serious legal issues raised questions about why Peru's interim president would hold secret meetings with them without official documentation.
José Jerí became interim president on October 10, 2025, after Congress removed former President Dina Boluarte for moral incapacity.[2] His removal occurs as Peru faces severe political instability, with Jerí being the seventh president in nine years, and his ouster following years of corruption scandals affecting multiple administrations.[3] The timing is particularly significant as Peru holds general elections on April 12, 2026, with the newly elected president set to take office on July 28.[2] The continued cycle of presidential removals due to corruption allegations reflects systemic governance challenges that have plagued Peru's political institutions.
Following Jerí's removal by Congress vote of 75-24-3, legislators were scheduled to vote on Wednesday evening to elect a new interim president to lead until the April 12 election winner assumes office on July 28, 2026.[1] Constitutional scholars noted that the President of Congress would assume the presidency of the Republic under Peru's removal mechanism, though specific details about the successor were not finalized in the available reports at the time of Jerí's ouster.
History
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