The legislative body in Peru has voted to remove President Dina Boluarte from office. This sudden move follows intense public anger over a sharp rise in crime across the nation. A recent shooting incident in the capital, Lima, only made this frustration worse.
Lawmakers had earlier agreed to debate an impeachment motion against Boluarte. They accused her of “moral incapacity,” which is a serious charge in Peruvian politics. She was asked to come before Congress that very evening to explain herself. However, the President chose not to appear. Her absence quickly gave lawmakers enough reason and votes to proceed with her removal.
José Geri, who serves as the Speaker of Congress, announced the final vote. A staggering 118 out of 122 members of parliament voted in favor of impeaching President Boluarte. This overwhelming decision came just hours after a shooting at a popular cumbia concert in Lima injured five people. The incident reignited public fury about the country’s worsening crime problem.
This latest impeachment effort stood out from eight previous attempts against Boluarte. For the first time, nearly every political party in Congress openly supported the motion to remove her. This showed a rare unity among the typically divided political groups.
President Boluarte herself took office in December 2022. She became president after Congress used the exact same process to impeach her predecessor. This history underscores a pattern of political instability in the country.
Boluarte’s government has struggled greatly with the rapid increase in crime. Murders and extortion cases have become particularly widespread. On a Wednesday earlier this week, she partly blamed illegal immigrants for the crime wave.
“These crimes have been building for decades,” Boluarte stated during a military ceremony. “They were made stronger by illegal immigration. Past governments failed to control this. They simply opened our borders, allowing criminals to enter without any limits.”
Official figures paint a grim picture. Between January and mid-August, 6,041 people died from murder. This is the highest number for that period since 2017. Reports of extortion also skyrocketed, with 15,989 complaints filed from January to July. That figure marks a 28% increase compared to the same period a year ago.
The immediate spark for this presidential crisis was the concert shooting earlier this week. A man opened fire, hurting five people at a performance by one of Peru’s most beloved cumbia bands.
Even Prime Minister Eduardo Arana’s strong defense of President Boluarte could not change Congress’s mind. He spoke before parliament on Thursday during a hearing about the crime wave. Arana argued that impeachment was not the right answer.
“Parliament’s worries cannot be fixed by proposing or approving an impeachment,” Arana told the assembly. “We are not holding onto our positions. We know that our first day in office could also be our last.”
Source: FRANCE 24