"Jose Maria Balcazar is the new president of Peru. Congress determined this on Wednesday night in an extraordinary session following the censure of Jose Jeri over his suspicious ties to Chinese businessmen and a group of women who were allegedly favored with government contracts. Peru now has a new head of state who was not chosen by popular vote, but by a parliamentary one."
"Jose Maria Balcazar, 83, from the leftwing political group Peru Libre, secured majority support in the chamber to become the new president. He will govern for the next five months, until he must hand over power on July 28 to a new leader this time elected at the polls in the upcoming April 12 election. Balcazar a member of the party of Pedro Castillo, the former president"
"He has openly defended child marriage. He even claimed that early sexual relations help a woman's future psychological development, statements that sparked widespread condemnation from the Ministry of Women and from the public at large. Peru's institutional weakness is highlighted by the fact that there isn't even consensus on how many presidents the country has had in the past decade."
Jose Maria Balcazar, 83 and a member of Peru Libre, was chosen president by Congress after the censure of Jose Jeri amid allegations of suspicious ties and favoritism in contracts. He will govern for five months and must hand over power on July 28 to the leader elected in the April 12 vote. Balcazar is a lawyer and former judge from Cajamarca with a controversial record, including defending child marriage and claiming early sexual relations benefit women’s psychological development, remarks that drew official and public condemnation. Peru's recent decade shows deep institutional instability and disputed presidential counts.
Read at english.elpais.com
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