Peru Has A New President: Eighth In Eight Years

The politician took office just two months before the election.

Peru's Congress has elected Jose Maria Balcázar as interim president.

The politician took office just two months before elections. And he became the country's eighth president in eight years, writes Reuters.

Peruvian parliamentarians on Feb. 18 elected Jose Balcasar as the new interim president ahead of general elections in April, making him the country's eighth leader in eight years.

83-year-old Balcázar will succeed José Heri, who was ousted by Congress just four months after taking office over a scandal involving undisclosed meetings with a Chinese businessman. Balcázar will also take over as head of Congress.

Peru has seen a rapid turnover of presidents since 2018, revealing a deep divide between the executive branch and Congress, as well as a fractured party system unable to form strong governing coalitions.

April 12, Peruvians will go to the polls to elect a new president; a runoff election is expected in June.

Balcazar, a left-wing lawmaker, will remain in office until the end of the current presidential term on July 28, when the president-elect is due to take office.

The politician must now oversee credible elections.

Balcazar, a member of the party of Pedro Castillo, the former president convicted of lynching in 2022, is a Cajamarca lawyer and former judge whose career has not been without controversy. He has openly defended child marriage. He even argued that "early sexual relations contribute to a woman's future psychological development," statements that drew widespread condemnation from the Ministry of Women's Affairs and the public at large, El Pais writes.

As noted, Peru has become a country of acting presidents or transitional presidents - transitional periods are often interrupted, as in the case of Jose Heri, who failed to serve the nine months allotted to him after being appointed to replace Dina Boluarte, who, like him, was ousted by Congress last October.

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