17 Feb (Reuters) – Peru’s Congress began a debate on Tuesday to discuss the possibility of dismissing President José Jeri after just four months in office, following a scandal related to undisclosed meetings with a Chinese businessman.
If a simple majority approves Jeri’s dismissal, it would continue a turnover of leaders in the South American nation, which, despite years of political turmoil, has one of the most stable economies in the region.
If removed, Jeri’s successor would become the Andean country’s eighth president in eight years, making Jeri the third consecutive president to be removed from office
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The motions under debate aim to censure President José Jeri, a measure that would remove him from the presidency, stripping him of the title of president of Congress.
Unlike impeachment, which requires a qualified majority of 87 votes in the 130-member legislature, censure requires a simple majority of 66 or less if there are fewer lawmakers present.
The president and his allies have argued that he should face an impeachment trial rather than censure, but Jeri has said he will respect the outcome of the censure vote.
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The current president of Congress, Fernando Rospigliosi, would be next in the line of succession, but he has stated that he will not assume the presidency, meaning that parliamentarians will have to elect a new head of Congress, who would then assume the presidency.
The process would be similar to the one that led to Francisco Sagasti’s ascension to the presidency in 2020, after he was chosen by Congress amid a serious political crisis and protests following the five-day presidency of former president Manuel Merino.
