Peru’s Congress has voted to remove President Dina Boluarte, among the world’s most unpopular leaders, in a late-night session called hours after political parties from across the spectrum demanded her impeachment, as the nation fights an intensive crime wave.
Politicians voted late on Thursday to debate Boluarte’s removal from office on grounds of “moral incapacity” and summoned her to defend herself before Congress at 11.30pm (04:30 GMT).
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She never arrived, and lawmakers had sufficient votes to proceed with a rapid impeachment process shortly after midnight, with 124 voting in favour of removing her.
Boluarte did not have a vice president to replace her, so Congress President Jose Jeri has been sworn in as the country’s new president.
Reporting from Lima, Al Jazeera’s Mariana Sanchez said lawmakers had decided to vote in favour of Boluarte’s removal because she had been “very disrespectful” in not heeding their summons.
Her removal continues a revolving door of leaders in the Andean nation, which has had six presidents since 2018, plunging the country into what Sanchez called “another political crisis” just six months ahead of the next presidential election.
Sanchez noted that the newly installed President Jeri has faced rape accusations.
