After a day of voting in the Congress of Peru, José María Balcázar was elected as the new acting president, who will now replace José Jerí, after his dismissal.
Congress announced via its social media account that the congressman received 64 votes in favor, while María del Carmen Alva received 43 votes, three were invalid and there were no blank votes, totaling 113 votes.
It is worth noting that Balcázar will remain in power until July 28, when he must hand over the mandate to the winner of the presidential elections scheduled for April.
The representative of the Lambayeque region, elected to Congress in the 2021 general elections for Perú Libre, has become the oldest president in the country's history. This new appointment also makes him the eighth leader of the Andean nation in a decade, reflecting the political instability the country has experienced during this period.
#Plenodel Congresso. I The plenary session of Congress resumed, and the president of Congress, José María Balcázar Zelada, was sworn in as president of the republic. pic.twitter.com/YwmUqmdWnR
– Congress of Peru 🇵🇪 (@congresoperu) February 19, 2026
Balcázar speaks out about his election as interim president
After achieving a majority vote from the congressmen, Balcázar spoke about it and expressed: "Now I am extremely motivated because my friends and colleagues have given me this honor of being able to wear the white and red of Peru on my chest."
Regarding political differences, he stated that "there are valuable people in Peru who need to be brought together," adding that this is not a time for fighting. "There are no right-wing or left-wing factions here."
Balcázar thanked those present for their vote and expressed his desire to build a "true democracy" for Peruvians. In that regard, he stated that during his months in office, his objectives would be to "guarantee the people of Peru a peaceful and transparent democratic and electoral transition," to "maintain genuine peace" and ensure that "ministries are equipped to tackle citizen insecurity," and to "maintain a stable economic policy."
The new president, despite having held positions in the Supreme Court of Justice of Peru, has faced a series of controversies for defending child marriages and was expelled from the judiciary for changing a sentence already issued, among other irregularities.
