The dismissal decision was passed with an overwhelming 75 votes in favor, ending the short term of Peruvian President José Jerí. This event continued to push the country deeper into a prolonged political crisis when this was the 8th leadership change in less than a decade.
The direct cause of the presidential seat shaking violently is the scandal named "Chifa-gate". The focus of the incident is images extracted from security cameras showing the head of state's shady whereabouts at unofficial locations.
On December 26, Mr. Jerí was caught going to a restaurant in the capital Lima wearing a hat and jacket to hide his identity. Then, on January 6, he wore sunglasses again to another private store.
The target he met in these secret appointments was Yang Zhihua - a Chinese businessman with many economic interests in Peru. Notably, both meetings were not recorded in the president's public work schedule.
Faced with undeniable evidence, Mr. Jerí had to bow his head and admit his mistake: "I admit my mistake and apologize publicly for appearing in such a covered-up state. That has caused unnecessary suspicion and speculation about my behavior.
Although he affirmed that no shady transactions or corruption took place, this explanation is not enough to convince parliament and public opinion that is angry.
The context of the incident becomes even more sensitive as Peru is under great pressure from the international community. The US has recently repeatedly warned about security risks at the deep-water port of Chancay, where there is a large presence of foreign investment that the Lima government is laxly managing.
Currently, the Peruvian presidential seat is vacant. Political factions will have to race against time to elect a temporary replacement on February 18, in order to steer the country to the general election scheduled for April 12.
