Dina Boluarte took office as the new president of Peru this Wednesday (7), after Congress approved a vacancy request (the equivalent of an impeachment process) against Pedro Castillo.
In this turbulent context, Boluarte, who until a few hours ago was vice president of the country, took office after being sworn in at the plenary session of Congress, in a session also called this Wednesday.
Thus, she becomes Peru’s first female president and will remain in office until July 2026. It is the sixth time that the country has had a new president in less than five years.
Upon taking office, Boluarte asked for a “political truce to install a government of national unity” and said he would fight corruption with the support of the Public Ministry and the Comptroller.
“My first measure is to face corruption, in all dimensions. I saw with disgust how the press and judicial bodies denounced shameful acts of theft against the money of all Peruvians, this cancer must be eradicated ”, he pointed out.
She comes to power after Pedro Castillo was removed and arrested for announcing the temporary closure of Congress, which is unconstitutional, according to the consensus of Peruvian constitutional analysts.
Part of his cabinet and other senior officials resigned and denounced that the president had carried out a coup d’état.
Who is Dina Boluarte?
Dina Ercilia Boluarte Zegarra is 60 years old and was born in Chalhuanca, Apurímac. She is a lawyer graduated from the Universidad Privada San Martín de Porres, where she also completed a master’s degree in Notarial and Registry Law, according to her curriculum published on the Plataforma del Estado Único.
She began her political career in 2007, at the National Registry of Identification and Civil Status (Reniec) in Surco, as an advisor to senior management and, later, as the person in charge.
In 2018, she was a candidate for mayor of Surquillo for the Peru Libre Party. Two years later, in 2020, she participated in the extraordinary parliamentary elections, but did not win the seat.
In the 2021 general elections, she was a vice-presidential candidate for the Peru Libre party, on the ticket headed by Castillo and who emerged victorious in the second round, after obtaining 8,836,380 votes, according to the National Electoral Jury (JNE).
In the middle of the second round, in which Peruvians were deciding whether to choose Castillo, from the extreme left, or Keijo Fujimori, from the extreme right, Boluarte made some statements in which he indicated that he would close Congress if the Legislature did not coordinate “in favor of the Fatherland with the Executive”.
In an interview with Fernando del Rincón, from CNN , in 2021, she recanted: “What I said is that we need a Congress that works for the needs of Peruvian society and that articulates positively with the Executive so that the two powers of the State can work in a coordinated way to meet the needs of multiple needs of Peruvian society. We do not want an obstructionist Congress (…) At no point did I say that we are going to close Congress”.
On July 29, 2021, she was sworn in as Minister of Development and Social Inclusion, a position she held until November 25, 2022, when she tendered her resignation following the appointment of Betssy Chávez as President of the Council of Ministers.
“Today, I made the decision not to continue in the next ministerial cabinet. After deep reflection, I have no doubt that the current polarization harms everyone, especially the common citizen who seeks to get out of the political and economic crisis”, wrote Boluarte at the time, but who did not leave the vice-presidency.
*With information from Fernando del Rincón, CNN
Source: CNN Brasil
Bruce Belcher is a seasoned author with over 5 years of experience in world news. He writes for online news websites and provides in-depth analysis on the world stock market. Bruce is known for his insightful perspectives and commitment to keeping the public informed.
