By Obinna Uballa
Peru’s President Dina Boluarte has been removed from office following a late-night congressional vote that united lawmakers from across the political spectrum, bringing an abrupt end to her embattled presidency.
Boluarte, who has faced months of investigations over bribery, abuse of power, and her alleged role in the deadly crackdown on 2022 protesters, was impeached on Thursday night after Congress voted to declare her “permanently morally incapacitated.”
She refused to attend the session, dismissing the allegations as politically motivated. Under Peru’s constitution, Congress President José Jerí Oré, 38, will serve as interim president and must now call new elections, CNN reported.
Boluarte’s downfall adds her name to a long list of disgraced Peruvian leaders — seven presidents in the last two decades have been prosecuted or forced out over corruption or human rights abuses, while another took his own life as police closed in.
Scandals and Allegations
Boluarte’s presidency, which began in 2022 after the impeachment of Pedro Castillo, quickly descended into controversy. The most serious accusations stem from the deaths of more than 60 people during security forces’ crackdown on protests that erupted after Castillo’s ouster.
She is also accused of accepting luxury gifts, including Rolex watches and fine jewellery, in exchange for political favours, a scandal Peruvians dubbed “Rolexgate.”
Adding to the furore are bizarre allegations that she abandoned her post in 2023 for a secret cosmetic nose surgery, failing to inform Congress or delegate authority during her two-week absence. Boluarte claimed the operation was medically necessary, but her surgeon later contradicted her, saying it was entirely cosmetic.
Political Isolation and National Crisis
In recent weeks, even Boluarte’s conservative allies, including Rafael López Aliaga’s Popular Renewal and Keiko Fujimori’s Popular Force, joined calls for her removal, accusing her of bringing disrepute to the presidency.
Her exit comes amid a wider security and governance crisis in Peru. Rising crime, widespread corruption, and declining public trust have led to states of emergency in Lima and the province of Callao following the killing of a popular musician earlier this year.
Boluarte, who was once hailed as a stabilising figure after Castillo’s downfall, leaves office as yet another symbol of Peru’s political turmoil, where instability has become the norm and the presidency a perilous post.
