Lima, Peru — Peru’s interim president José Jerí has been removed from office after Congress voted overwhelmingly to censure him, marking the country’s eighth leadership change in less than a decade and reinforcing what many Peruvians call the “curse” of the presidency.
Lawmakers approved the motion by 75 votes to 24, just four months after Jerí assumed office and only weeks before the country is due to hold a general election on April 12.
The vote effectively vacates both the presidency of Congress and the presidency of the Republic, according to acting congressional head Fernando Rospigliosi, who announced the decision from the legislative floor.
Political blocs will now negotiate a new congressional leadership slate. Under Peru’s constitutional framework, the next President of Congress will assume the interim presidency.
The ‘Chifa-gate’ Scandal
Jerí’s downfall stems from a controversy dubbed “Chifa-gate” — a reference to Peru’s popular Chinese-Peruvian cuisine — after it emerged that he held undisclosed meetings with Chinese businessman Zhihua Yang.
The meetings, which were not registered in official presidential records, took place at a Chinese restaurant in Lima on December 26 and later at a Chinese goods store. Images of Jerí entering the restaurant wearing a hood and later appearing in sunglasses sparked public suspicion and accusations of impropriety.
Yang reportedly holds a state-granted concession for one of his companies, raising concerns about possible conflicts of interest.
Jerí denied any wrongdoing and described the encounters as “circumstantial.” Last month, he acknowledged poor judgment in how the meetings were conducted.
“I admit my mistake and publicly apologize for entering the way I did, hooded,” Jerí said, adding that the meetings did not involve requests for favors or government support.
Peru’s Attorney General’s Office opened an investigation into the matter.
Balancing China and the United States
The controversy has unfolded against a broader geopolitical backdrop.
China is one of Peru’s largest trading partners and a key investor in infrastructure projects. However, Washington has increasingly warned Latin American governments about Beijing’s expanding economic footprint in the region.
Last week, the US Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs expressed concern over Peru’s oversight of the Chancay megaport — one of the country’s largest infrastructure projects — which it described as being managed by “predatory” Chinese interests.
The bureau said it supports Peru’s “sovereign right to oversee critical infrastructure” and warned that “cheap Chinese money costs sovereignty.”
Jerí’s undisclosed meetings added fuel to an already sensitive debate over how Lima should balance relations between its two major global partners.
A Presidency Under a Shadow
Jerí’s removal continues a pattern of political instability that has plagued Peru for over two decades.
He had assumed the presidency in October after then-president Dina Boluarte was impeached. Boluarte herself had taken office following the dramatic 2022 removal and arrest of Pedro Castillo, who attempted to dissolve Congress and rule by decree.
Peru’s instability is often traced back to the fall of Alberto Fujimori, who was ousted in 2000 and later convicted of corruption and human rights abuses.
Since then, nearly every Peruvian president has faced prosecution, investigation or impeachment:
- Alejandro Toledo was sentenced to more than 20 years in prison in a corruption case tied to Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht.
- Alan García died by suicide in 2019 as police moved to arrest him in a related investigation.
- Ollanta Humala and Pedro Pablo Kuczynski were also investigated over alleged Odebrecht-linked payments.
- Martín Vizcarra was removed from office on grounds of “moral incapacity.”
All have denied wrongdoing.
What Happens Next?
Peruvians are set to vote in a general election on April 12, but the immediate priority for lawmakers is to appoint a new congressional leadership — and therefore a new interim president.
For many Peruvians, Jerí’s fall reinforces a sense of political fragility that has become almost routine.
What was once extraordinary — the removal of a president — has become almost cyclical.
As the country heads toward another election, the question is whether voters can break the pattern — or whether Peru’s presidency will remain one of the most volatile offices in Latin America.