Feb 17, 2026
3 min read
The president was questioned about his meetings inside and outside the palace with Chinese businessmen, but the president was censured by the same deputies who fired his predecessor.
The Peruvian Congress overthrew President Jose Jerry four months after appointing him
When asked about meetings inside and outside the palace with Chinese businessmen, the president was criticized by those MPs who completed his previous work.
This Tuesday, Peru experienced the same déjà vu that marked its last decade: another president who falls before completing his mandate and a Congress that once again pushes politics to the brink.José Yerry was dismissed from the presidency, just four months after succeeding Dina Boluarte, also fired by Congress for her inability to address the country's security crisis.One of the seven requests for assessment was successful against the 39-year-old lawyer, indicted for his secret meetings with Chinese businessmen.with a dubious reputation.The next step will take place on Wednesday, when a new president - the eighth in a decade not to complete his term - will be appointed to fill the vacancy until July 28, when the president elected in April's elections takes office.
Shortly before he began the session, José Jerí insisted that he did not commit any crime and reduced Chifagate, as the scandal of meetings with businessmen is called, to the "mistakes" of the form, although the back-and-forth versions that he gave to defend himself in recent weeks passed around him.Their end depended on the political calculations of the parties who, eight weeks before the general election, intended to have a majority in the next Congress.The debate was marked by shouts, serious complaints and calls for order.
Jerí happened a month after his video was published, in which he is seen wearing a hood and dark glasses in Lima, when a Chinese restaurant was closed to the public.Jerí wasn't just there to eat.He had an appointment with Zhihua Yang, a businessman who owns a fleet of businesses from security to hydroelectric construction.The scene, which took place on December 26, raised suspicions.Subsequently, more photos were published of other irregular meetings with Zhihua Yang and another businessman, Ji Wu Xiaodong, whose subject raised alarm bells: he is linked to an alleged criminal organization dedicated to the illegal timber trade and who, despite a sentence of arrest, visited the palace three times.
The case became a national scandal, and lawmakers have spent the past month calculating the political benefits of unseating the president.After much negotiation, it was possible to obtain the 78 signatures needed to convene this extraordinary plenary session late last week.Fuerza Popular and Renovación Popular, the same groups that conduct opinion polls and challenge right-wing support in the April 12 elections, have clashed publicly.Fujimori's political party, Fuerza Popular, led by Keiko Fujimori, refused to condemn Jerí for "further destabilizing the country."The remaining benches added the necessary votes.
The debate remained tense until the last moment.In the middle of the session, Ana Zegarra, José Jerí's benchmate in the Somos Perú group, threw him a lifeline and raised a point of order so that the plenary session did not debate a motion of censure, but rather a vacancy, a formula that requires many more votes to proceed.But his attempt was useless.His initiative did not prosper and Jerí was left in the middle of a credibility crisis that has ended his high popularity ratings at the beginning of his mandate, which reached 58% approval.Jerí leaves the palace with a categorical survey by the Datum Internacional metro: 68% of Peruvians believe that Jerí is suspected of having committed acts of corruption.
"This Congress must decide if it wants to continue as a friend of power or to return a little power in front of the people. Mr. José Jerí has used the power in secret. Secret meetings, secret meetings, meetings at night with businessmen, outcomes that are contrary to public opinion. Here we are not talking about a crime, but a crime.
After Jerít's departure, a new president of the Congress must now be chosen, who will automatically assume the position of president of the Republic.Peru continues in a spiral of chaos, where it is difficult to make reforms, when it is not known how long the head of state will remain in office.Based on the experience of the last few years, very little.
Your subscription is in use on another device
Would you like to add another user to your membership?
If you continue reading on this device, it will not be readable on the other.
Arrow Your subscription is being used on another device and you can only access EL PAÍS on one device at a time.
If you want to share your account, change your subscription to premium mode, so you can add another user.Everyone logs in with their own email account, allowing you to customize your experience in EL PAÍS.
Have a business subscription?Go here to sign up for more accounts.
If you do not know who is using your account, we recommend that you change your password here.
If you decide to continue sharing your account, these messages will appear on your device and on the devices of other users of your account indefinitely, affecting your reading experience.You can view the terms and conditions of the digital subscription here.
