President Jose Jeri¡¯s impeachment by congress Tuesday ¡ª making him the third straight president to be removed from office ¡ª is highlighting divides within Peru¡¯s political right wing and the top two conservative presidential contenders just ahead of general elections.
Jeri was ousted over corruption allegations and for hiring young women who¡¯d stayed overnight with him and whom critics saw as unqualified for their roles. But the ouster of the interim president took place just as the election cycle is heating up, with Peruvians set to vote for a new president in April and later in a likely run-off in June.
The latest voter opinion polls show two conservative leading the field, though by the slimmest of margins. Rafael Lopez Aliaga ¡ª a former mayor of Lima and leader of the Popular Renovation party ¡ª is polling first and positioned his congressional bloc to support Jeri¡¯s ouster. But Keiko Fujimori ¡ª a three-times presidential runner up who leads the Popular Force party ¡ª is polling second and her lawmakers argued for keeping Jeri in power.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.