LIMA (Realist English). Less than a week after taking office, Peru’s new president José Jerí is already facing a wave of public anger over violent crime and political turmoil — unrest that threatens to derail his government long before elections scheduled for next year.
The 38-year-old conservative lawyer, Peru’s eighth president in under a decade, refused to resign on Thursday despite nationwide protests that left one person dead and more than 100 injured. Left-wing lawmakers attempted — and failed — to impeach him the same day.
Anger over rampant extortion rackets and corruption has fueled the unrest, which began with Generation Z–led marches against pension reforms and has since evolved into a broader rejection of Peru’s political class. Bus drivers have joined the demonstrations, protesting the government’s failure to curb criminal gangs that extort transportation workers across the country.
“A small group is trying to disrupt the peaceful intentions of those who have taken to the streets,” Jerí wrote on X. “Their actions only aim to sow chaos and violence in our country.”
Jerí assumed power after the impeachment of Dina Boluarte, whose approval rating had fallen to 3%. Once president of Congress, Jerí now finds himself under investigation for alleged bribery and past misconduct, though prosecutors have yet to file formal charges. His approval rating stands at just 5%, according to Ipsos.
To contain unrest, Prime Minister Ernesto Álvarez announced a state of emergency in Lima, promising a crackdown on organized crime. Official figures show 13,667 cases of extortion in the first half of 2025 — a 25% increase from last year — with more than 6,000 murders reported by mid-August, the highest toll since 2017.
Analysts say Jerí’s survival depends on maintaining support from right-wing factions in Congress, which kept Boluarte in power for nearly three years despite multiple scandals. “He could survive for now,” said political analyst Gonzalo Banda, “but it’s Peru — nobody has enough power to guarantee anything.”
Peru’s long-running cycle of instability shows no sign of ending. The country has cycled through six presidents since 2018, while Congress has repeatedly expanded its power through constitutional amendments. Elections are due in April 2026, but few expect calm before then.
As political turmoil deepens and violent crime worsens, many Peruvians are once again losing faith in the country’s fragile democracy — and waiting for yet another outsider to promise a way out.
