Peru’s political crisis deepens after a decade marked by the successive سقوط of presidents, the repeated use of impeachment, and an institutional system incapable of ensuring stability ahead of the 2026 elections.
Denied Rights in Latin America
Between 2016 and 2026, Peru will have had seven presidents instead of the two who, under normal conditions, should have completed their constitutional terms. Resignations, removals, transitional governments, and impeachments driven by Congress have defined a decade of political instability that has turned the presidency into the most fragile office within the institutional system.
According to the Institute of Peruvian Studies (IEP), the country is experiencing “a prolonged crisis of governance” in which constitutional oversight mechanisms have been used as tools of political confrontation rather than as exceptional measures. “Presidential impeachment has ceased to be a last resort and has become a recurring practice,” one of its recent reports states.
From Kuczynski’s collapse to José Jerí’s interim presidency
The cycle of leadership changes began with the resignation of Pedro Pablo Kuczynski in March 2018, after being elected in 2016. He was followed by Martín Vizcarra, who was removed by Congress in November 2020. His successor, Manuel Merino, remained in power for only a few days and resigned amid social protests that resulted in fatalities. Francisco Sagasti then assumed the presidency as a transitional leader, tasked with stabilizing the country and leading it to new elections.
In 2021, Pedro Castillo arrived at the Government Palace following the general elections, but his term ended abruptly in December 2022 after he attempted to dissolve Congress, leading to his removal and arrest. Dina Boluarte then took office, but she was removed by Parliament in October 2025 amid criticism over her handling of security, social protests, and alleged administrative irregularities.
Impeachment as a recurring political tool
For Fernando Tuesta Soldevilla, political scientist and former head of the National Office of Electoral Processes (ONPE), “the problem is not only who governs, but a political system incapable of generating minimum consensus.” He warns that the constant سقوط of presidents “has weakened the legitimacy of the vote and created a perception of permanent provisional power.”
Boluarte’s removal occurred in a context marked by rising crime, corruption allegations, and the repeated use of the constitutional mechanism of presidential impeachment. According to analyses by International IDEA and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), this pattern has entrenched a sequence of leaders unable to complete their terms, keeping the country in a state of chronic political instability.
An interim government under pressure and scandals
Following Boluarte’s removal, then-Congress president José Jerí assumed office as interim president and will remain in the position until July 28, 2026, the scheduled date for the transfer of power to the next elected government.
Already under Jerí’s interim administration, the executive branch faced new turbulence. Within the first 100 days of his term, a scandal erupted over unreported meetings with a Chinese businessman—an episode known as “Chifigate”—which led to prosecutorial investigations and calls for impeachment in Congress.
2026 elections: fragmentation, risk, and uncertainty
Among the structural factors behind the instability are the fragmentation of the political system, the constant clash between the executive and legislative branches, and a persistent crisis in security and the economy. The National Jury of Elections (JNE) and the ONPE have warned that the 2026 electoral process will be particularly complex due to the large number of registered parties and the difficulty of building stable majorities in Congress.
General elections are scheduled for April 12, 2026, and the transfer of power will take place on July 28 of the same year. That year will also mark the return to a bicameral legislature, with the installation of a Senate and a Chamber of Deputies, following a constitutional reform enacted in 2024.
A country heading to the polls amid institutional fragility
The interim government of José Jerí will have to guide the country through the electoral process amid ongoing investigations, demands for political oversight, and a Congress that retains the constitutional power to remove the head of state, in a scenario where, according to analysts, stability will depend more on political agreements than on the formal rules of the system.
