Peru was scheduled to hold general elections in two months, but the political situation has become turbulent again. Congress passed the censure motion with 75 votes in favor and 24 votes against, removing interim President Jose Herri from office after only four months in office. This country, which has changed eight national leaders in the past ten years, has once again fallen into a power vacuum.
After the Peruvian Congress voted on February 17 to remove interim President Herri, who was facing corruption charges, demonstrators outside the Congress in the capital Lima cheered and celebrated. Associated Press
According to CNN, the 39-year-old Hurry will succeed the impeached Dina Boruart as president in October 2025 after serving as Speaker of Congress. Boruarte previously took over power after former President Pedro Castillo was impeached and arrested in 2022, and Castillo only lasted about a year and a half.
Hurry's resignation stemmed from accusations of inappropriate behavior – he had met with Chinese businessman Yang Zhihua in private. According to reports, on December 26, 2025, Hurry met with Yang Zhihua at a Chinese restaurant in the capital Lima. At that time, he was photographed wearing a hood, which caused controversy. On January 6, 2026, he met the other party again in a Chinese merchandise store and wore sunglasses. Neither meeting was included in the president's itinerary according to law.
The New York Times quoted local media reports in Peru as saying that a store owned by Yang Zhihua was ordered to close for violating municipal regulations. However, only three days later, the relevant regulatory agencies overturned the regulations that led to the closure. The incident was dubbed "Chinese Food Gate" by the media because it involved Peru's "Qifa" cuisine, which integrates Chinese food culture. The matter has prompted the Attorney General's Office to launch an investigation into Hurry and Yang Zhihua.
In January this year, Hurley admitted that there had been a meeting and apologized for the inappropriate manner, but denied that there was any transfer of benefits, saying that the meeting was "accidental" and that Yang Zhihua did not make any special requests or seek favors from him. The Presidential Palace has not yet responded further.
With Hurry's dismissal as speaker of parliament, the post of president became vacant. Each political camp will negotiate to introduce a new candidate for the Speaker of the National Assembly and vote on the 18th to choose the next interim president.
Peruvian politics has been turbulent for a long time, which some commentators believe can be traced back to the period of former President Alberto Fujimori. Fujimori stepped down in 2000 due to scandals related to the intelligence services and was subsequently convicted of corruption, embezzlement and human rights violations. Since then, many of his successors have been embroiled in judicial troubles. Since 2000, at least seven former presidents have been charged or under investigation, and an eighth committed suicide when police approached. Herri became the latest national leader to be involved in a scandal, with public opinion even describing this phenomenon as a "curse" for the Peruvian president.
