Peru's legislature on Thursday reached the signature threshold required to initiate a debate addressing the possible removal and censure of President Jose Jeri, congressional records show. The action stems from reports that Jeri held undisclosed meetings with a Chinese businessman, Zhihua Yang.
Under congressional procedure, once lawmakers formally present a motion seeking Jeri's removal, the president of Congress must call Jeri to appear on the floor within 15 days. At that appearance Jeri would be questioned by lawmakers about the issues raised in the motion, after which Congress would vote on whether to remove him from office.
Alongside potential removal, a successful censure would also strip Jeri of his prior position as president of Congress, leaving him only with his seat as a congressman. The debate and any subsequent vote would therefore carry consequences for both his presidential authority and his congressional standing.
Jeri assumed the presidency in October after the ousting of former President Dina Boluarte. In January, in response to calls for his removal related to the meetings with Zhihua Yang, Jeri asserted to lawmakers that efforts to unseat him were aimed at destabilizing his administration and interrupting preparations for the forthcoming presidential election.
Peru is scheduled to hold a presidential election on April 12. The country has faced ongoing political turbulence in recent years. Since 2016, seven different presidents, including Jeri, have taken the oath of office, underscoring the pace of leadership turnover in the Andean nation.
The article notes that Ollanta Humala, who governed from 2011 to 2016 and was the last president to complete a full term, was sentenced to 15 years in prison for money laundering earlier this year.
While the motion follows specific allegations tied to undisclosed meetings, congressional procedure will determine whether those allegations are sufficient to remove or censure the president. The next formal steps hinge on the filing of the motion and the subsequent scheduling of Jeri's appearance before Congress within the stipulated 15-day timeframe.