Hooray to Jerí and the Grim Future of Peru

November 4th, 2025
Ty Tan

Three weeks ago, 2% approval was Dina Boularte’s unfortunate position, while she still served as Peru’s President. Yet, following an impeachment trial, Peruvian’s finally said Hooray to Jerí, Peru’s top lawmaker and 7th president in less than a decade. Yet as Peru faces a multitude of problems—ranging from organized crime to political instability—Peru’s new President, Jose Jerí, will have to hold down the fort till the political reckoning of the 2026 Presidential Election. Amidst a state of emergency spurred by violent demonstrations right outside the capital, Peru’s future is on shaky foundations, as compounding problems cement instability.

Since 2016, Peru has been marred by political instability, poverty, and organized crime, which has destroyed trust in Peruvian institutions. Despite the Constitution establishing 5-year presidential terms, Peru has gone through 7. This is a result of political corruption, which has seen 2 presidents convicted of money laundering, and others choosing to step down amidst corruption investigations. Dina Boularte, Peru’s recently impeached president, was a leader in corrupt bargaining, as her term in office was marked by a “reorganization” of the judiciary that amounted to an attempted coup.

In the 2000s, Peru made significant progress on fighting poverty, bringing the poverty rate down to a historic low of 20.7% in 2016. However, as poverty rose to 27.6% by 2024, Peru was clearly reversing its positive trends. The ineffective governance of various leaders saw foreign investment dissipate alongside the rise of the informal sector. These parallel forces, coupled with state withdrawal, weakened the economic stability Peruvians were working toward, draining savings and damaging livelihoods.

Yet, no problem is more devastating than organized crime. In 2025, every third Peruvian reported knowing of or being a victim of extortion, a trend in line with the past decade. The problem of organized crime in Peru is complex: with overpopulated, undermanned prisons, gota a gota (“drop-by-drop”) loansharking and skyrocketing cases of extortion all contributing to Peru’s insecurity. Organized crime in Peru is taking advantage of these fears, collecting payments for “safety” as they take over urban and rural centers alike. Together, these three problems represent the problems Jose Jerí has to address.

Disappointingly, Peruvians aren’t confident. Not only is Peru plagued by institutional weakness, but Jerí isn’t ready to change it. As a result of the revolving door political system omniprescent in Peru, the government does not have any long-term crime reduction strategies. Rather, emergency actions to stymie the damage occur frequently. Right now, Jerí is playing right into these trends, declaring a state of emergency as violence erupted in the capital of Lima, Peru. Yet by focusing on a violent protest crackdown, Jerí allows corrupt political institutions that protect criminal organizations to persist, ensuring social instability. By not rebuilding trust in state and national institutions, Jerí is allowing for illicit operations that siphon wealth and protection away from the people to continue.

As Jeri maintains his role as interim President, Peru doesn’t appear to be headed for any good news. Protesters in the country continue to push back against the government for failing to meet basic social services or tackle rampant extortion. As Peru is now less than six months away from national elections, citizens are exhausted and cynical, as political chaos leaves the lives of Peruvians hanging off a cliff. This political episode should be seen as another part of Peru’s cynical instability, but rather as a warning: Peru is at its breaking point. Thus, as the Atlantic Council puts it best, the future of Peru isn’t about corruption or governance, “It is about the basic survival of the rule of law.” Peruvians certainly won’t be saying Hooray to their government anytime soon.

Extemp Question: How can Peruvians restore democratic governance to Peru?