Peruvian Lawmakers Make Another Attempt To Remove President Boluarte From Office

Peruvian lawmakers made the fifth attempt to remove President Dina Boluarte from office, alleging that she was not fit for the office due to "moral incapacity."

This attempt came amid various ongoing investigations on her and her inner circle, including one of her brothers.

Boluarte previously dodged the first four attempts with the help of other politicians, who supported her with the necessary votes to stay in office.

Lawmaker Susel Paredes took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to share documents featuring "signatures to enter the Vacancy Motion against Boluarte, due to the serious new acts committed that are incompatible with continuing to lead the country," translated from Spanish by Google.

In a separate post, Paredes wrote, "A person with serious questions and defender of dangerous criminals cannot be Minister of the Interior. It is one more mockery on the part of Boluarte, who we already know seeks to use the PNP and the interior sector to protect his relatives and associates with serious accusations."

The social media posts came in less than a week since prosecutors started an investigation on the Boluarte-led administration's decision to shut down a police unit that was responsible for keeping an eye on her family and inner circle's activities including one of her brothers, AP News reported.

Boluarte became the president after Pedro Castillo's ouster last December, which resulted in social unrest and several protests across the country, leading to the death of at least 49 citizens.

Last month, Boluarte replaced six ministers, who resigned amid a political crisis sparked by an alleged scandal involving luxury watches. Boluarte's cabinet comprises 18 ministries, with Gustavo Adrianzén holding the position of prime minister.

Previously, lawmakers formally submitted a request to Parliament, demanding the removal of Boluarte from the office on grounds of "permanent moral incapacity." This attempt was made in the wake of police forcibly entering her residence three days earlier to search for luxury watches as part of an ongoing investigation.

Aside from removing her from office amid luxury watch allegations, lawmakers also suggested investigating the nationwide surge in crime rate. However, Boluarte has denied the illicit enrichment accusations.

The 61-year-old Boluarte was a lawyer who came from a humble background before entering Castillo's government on a salary of $8,136 per month in July 2021. Later she took over the presidency with a lower salary of $4,200 per month, but the investigation against her started when she appeared in public with luxury watches.