Peru's Congress elects jose maria balcazar as interim president until July
Peru's Congress selected José María Balcázar to lead the country on a short-term basis, voting him into the post after lawmakers removed the previous interim president amid a corruption scandal. Balcázar will serve only until the inauguration of the president-elect on July 28, 2026 (ET), and the vote highlighted persistent political instability as the country approaches national elections.
How the vote unfolded and what comes next
The parliamentary ballot required two rounds after no candidate secured an absolute majority in the first vote. In the decisive second round, Balcázar defeated María del Carmen Alva by 64 votes to 46. Two other candidates were eliminated in the opening round. The choice follows the congressional censure and removal of the previous interim leader on Feb. 17, 2026 (ET), an action driven by allegations linked to undisclosed meetings and other controversies that undermined confidence in his stewardship.
Balcázar’s mandate is explicitly temporary. National elections are scheduled for April 12, 2026 (ET), and the law bars him from standing as a candidate. He must hand over power on July 28, 2026 (ET) to the official winner of that electoral contest, limiting his window to manage immediate governance challenges and to provide continuity until a new administration takes office.
Profile: a veteran jurist with a controversial record
José María Balcázar, an 83-year-old former high-court magistrate and current congressman for a northern region, is not a household name for many voters. His judicial career rose to senior levels before he entered the legislature. That record, however, comes with a series of allegations and disciplinary actions that have kept him in the public eye for the wrong reasons.
His history includes probes over alleged influence peddling and a past disciplinary expulsion from a regional bar association tied to claims of fund misappropriation. He faces a standing constitutional complaint connected to alleged vote trading with a former top prosecutor, an accusation that alleges exchanges of parliamentary support for the dismissal of local legal proceedings. Those unresolved controversies raise questions about his ability to project a reform-minded image at a time when public trust in institutions is fragile.
Political context: another turn in a long cycle of instability
Balcázar becomes the eighth person to hold Peru’s presidency in roughly a decade, a pattern that has left political continuity elusive and placed pressure on bureaucracies and investors to adapt to frequent leadership changes. His ties to elements of the country’s left have prompted commentators to describe him as a representative of a socially conservative wing within that spectrum, even as other factions vie for influence ahead of the April vote.
Despite the churn at the top, key macroeconomic indicators have shown resilience, with growth and inflation metrics that suggest the economy has so far weathered political shocks. Still, short-term fiscal and policy decisions under an interim administration are limited: Balcázar’s role is primarily to steward the state through the electoral cycle rather than to launch long-term reforms.
Lawmakers who backed Balcázar argued the choice offered immediate stability and parliamentary experience; opponents warned that the new interim president’s controversial past and narrow mandate would do little to resolve deeper governance challenges. With national elections weeks away, the spotlight now turns to candidates on the campaign trail and to whether the upcoming transfer of power in late July will provide a clearer exit from an extended period of political turbulence.
