At dawn this Friday, the Congress of Peru approved the dismissal of Dina Boluarte as president of the republic.

The legislature had summoned the head of state to immediately present her defense before proceeding with the vote, but the president refused to do so, considering the procedure "unconstitutional."

It "simply violates any procedure. We will not validate it!" said Juan Carlos Portugal, one of the lawyers, on her behalf.

After waiting for Boluarte for 20 minutes and seeing that he did not arrive, the vote was immediately taken, considering that after a day of debate there was nothing more to say. And the congressmen supported the vacancy unanimously, with 118 votes in favor and none against, and without abstentions.

The president of Congress, Jose Jeri, was sworn in as the new president of the country by constitutional succession and after a motion of censure presented against the board of directors he headed was not approved.

“We must declare war on crime. The enemies are criminal gangs in the streets,” he said shortly after putting on the presidential sash, and promised to lead a government of reconciliation.

He will be in charge of leading the country until the next elections, scheduled for April 2026, and the presidential changeover, set for July 28.

Express vacancy

Legislators from various benches had presented four proposals for Boluarte’s vacancy due to “permanent moral incapacity,” which were accepted by a large majority and thanks to the votes of the right-wing parties and the Fujimorism that until now had supported her.

The impeachment process was launched on Thursday morning at the initiative of the Popular Renewal party, the party led by the mayor of Lima, the ultraconservative Rafael Lopez Aliaga, alias Porky.

The motions for impeachment came after a crisis of violence and crime affecting the South American country,just one day after the popular cumbia band Agua Marina was attacked during their performance at a military compound in the Lima district of Chorrillos.

Four members of the group were shot in the chest and leg.

Various political forces had demanded that the government respond to the “impunity” with which criminal gangs dedicated to extortion seem to operate.

Previous proposals for his impeachment had been rejected due to the support of conservative parties and some left-wing allies.

Now the dismissal was supported by influential parties such as Fuerza Popular, of former presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori, and Renovacion Popular, of also former presidential candidate Rafael Lopez Aliaga, current mayor of Lima.

Both right-wing political leaders are considered possible candidates and lead the polls for the 2026 elections.

“The Extortion, criminality, but she continues to live in a fantasy. This president deserves to be removed from office, she deserves to be punished,” said Conservative legislator Norma Yarrow, during the debate on the motion of censure and prior to the impeachment vote.

Boluarte assumed office on December 7, 2022, replacing President Pedro Castillo, who was arrested and accused of an attempted coup.

The country has had up to six presidents since 2018 due to the dismissals or resignations of its leaders. Three former presidents are in prison for corruption or abuse of power.

Jose Jeri, the new interim president

Following Boluarte's vacancy, Jose Jeri, who until a few hours ago was the president of Congress, assumed the presidency of Peru.

Jeri, a 38-year-old lawyer born in Lima, has been affiliated with the Somos Peru political party since 2013 and is currently its vice president.

He ran for Congress in the 2021 parliamentary elections on the Lima Metropolitan electoral list.

He was elected for the 2021-2026 parliamentary period after the disqualification of former President Martin Vizcarra, who had obtained more votes than him.

As a congressman, he voted in favor of the vacancy against Pedro Castillo in 2022.

But his political career has been tainted by scandals.

He has been under investigation due to allegations of sexual abuse, but these accusations were dismissed by the South American country's prosecutor's office.

He is also accused of alleged acts of corruption, which he has dismissed as smear campaigns.

The attack that broke the camel's back

On Wednesday night,At a concert featuring several bands and artists at the Circulo Militar in Chorrillos, an attack occurred against the musical group Agua Marina.

It was the attack that broke the camel's back.

As the singers were on stage, a quick burst of gunfire interrupted their performance.

According to several attendees who spoke to the Peruvian media, many initially mistook the sound of the gunshots for that of a short circuit.

Videos shared by attendees on social media showed how, moments later, one of the musicians hit by the bullets was helped on stage and the entire band left in pain.

The attendees then became aware of what had happened and many threw themselves to the ground while waiting to evacuate the venue.

The general of the Peruvian National Police, Felipe Monroy, reported that the initial investigations indicate that the attack was perpetrated by two individuals on board from a moving motorcycle from land adjacent to the compound.

Police found up to 27 bullet casings at the scene. General Monroy stated that they were believed to be 9mm Parabellum pistol rounds.

Dr. Ricardo Villaran, of the Guillermo Almenara National Hospital, reported that Cesar More and Wilson Ruiz, members of Agua Marina, who were treated at the health center "are stable" and "are not at risk of dying."

For its part, the Casimiro Ulloa Emergency Hospital reported in a statement that it had treated a 50-year-old man for a "minor wound" from a firearm projectile. The man had been discharged.

Police reported that they had reinforced the security of the families of the members of the attacked musical group and a special operation was activated in Lima, called Plan Cerco, to find the perpetrators of the attack.

While waiting for the investigation to confirm the motives for the attack, all indications point to the musical group having been the target of the criminal gangs dedicated to extortion that have proliferated in Peru in recent years.

Surveys show that crime has become one of the main concerns for citizens and extortion of businesses and companies, one of the most common topics of conversation.