Peru wakes up to 7th president in less than a decade after President Boluarte ousted by Congress

LIMA, Peru (AP) — Peruvians woke up to their seventh president in less than a decade Friday, as 38-year-old José Jerí took the reins of the shaken nation after Congress ousted widely loathed President Dina Boluarte in a lightning overnight impeachment.

The young lawyer with scarce political experience, who just became president of the Congress in July, said shortly after being sworn in early Friday that he would seek “reconciliation,” tackle Peru’s runaway crime and ensure “neutrality” in elections when Peruvians elect a new president in April.

Lawmakers had set up a debate and impeachment trial late Thursday in the 130-member unicameral Congress after voting to accept four requests for a vote to remove Boluarte from office over what they said was her government’s inability to stem crime.

They requested that Boluarte come before them shortly before midnight to defend herself, but when she did not appear they immediately voted to oust her. In short order, 124 lawmakers voted just past midnight to impeach Boluarte. There were no votes against the effort, the ninth attempt to remove her.

The shocking turn of events came just hours after a man open fired at a concert in the capital, injuring five and inflaming anger over crime roiling the country.

Jerí's rapid ascension was all the more surprising because in August he gave a lengthy interview to Peruvian newspaper El Comercio in which he said he wouldn't replace Boluarte if she were impeached because he believed in “presidential institutionality and we're so close to the end of her term.”

Boluarte, Peru’s first female president, took office in December 2022 after Parliament used the same mechanism to impeach her predecessor. Then-President Pedro Castillo was removed from office just two years into his five-year term after attempting to dissolve the legislature to avoid his own removal.

Boluarte had served as Castillo’s vice president before becoming president, so there was no vice president to take her place when she was removed Friday. Next in line was the president of the Congress, Jerí.

After Friday's vote, Boluarte spoke on national television, recounting her administration’s achievements.

“I have not thought of myself, but rather of Peruvians,” she said.

Minutes into her speech, the broadcast was interrupted to show Jerí’s swearing in.

On Friday, the Attorney General's Office asked a judge to prohibit Boluarte from leaving the country while it investigates two cases, one alleged money laundering and the other alleged corruption. The judge did not immediately rule.

In a statement, investigators said that they are looking at money allegedly funneled through Boluarte before her presidency to the fugitive leader of a political party. The other case has to do with Boluarte using her influence as president to do favors for friends, in particular the plastic surgeon who gave her a secret nose job in 2023. She eventually confirmed that she had undergone the procedure.

Jerí obtained his seat in the Congress in 2021 as a substitute for ex-President Martín Vizcarra, who was from the same political party and electoral district, when Vizcarra was barred from holding public office.

Ironically, Jerí became the Congress' president in July with support of the same coalition of parties that had supported Boluarte in power.

Earlier this year, the Attorney General’s Office confirmed that it had opened a preliminary investigation into an accusation of rape against Jerí. Months later, the office announced the investigation was shelved without further explanation. Jerí denied the accusations in the interview with El Comercio in August.

Jerí will serve out Boluarte's term as interim president. Elections are scheduled for next April and Boluarte's term was to end July 28, 2026.

There were more than 500 protests demanding Boluarte's resignation in the first three months of her presidency.

Plagued by scandals, her administration’s inability to address Peru’s incessant crime proved to be her undoing.

On Wednesday, she partially blamed the situation on immigrants living in the country illegally.

“This crime has been brewing for decades and has been strengthened by illegal immigration, which past administrations haven’t defeated," she said during a military ceremony. “Instead, they’ve opened the doors of our borders and allowed criminals to enter everywhere... without any restrictions.”

Official figures show that 6,041 people were killed between January and mid-August, the highest number during the same period since 2017. Meanwhile, extortion complaints totaled 15,989 between January and July, a 28% increase compared to the same period in 2024.

On Friday, Boluarte's lawyer Juan Portugal told local radio station RPP that Boluarte was at her home in Lima and had no desire to seek political asylum elsewhere.

Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

A vendor carries Halloween-themed pumpkin piñatas past Congress in Lima, Peru, Friday, Oct. 10, 2025, the day lawmakers voted to remove President Dina Boluarte from office. (AP Photo/Guadalupe Pardo)

Peru's interim President Jose Jeri waves to the press as he arrives at the government palace in Lima, Peru, Friday, Oct. 10, 2025, the day he was sworn-in after Congress voted to remove Dina Boluarte. (AP Photo/Guadalupe Pardo)

Anti-government demonstrators celebrate outside the congress building in Lima, Peru, Friday, Oct. 10, 2025 as Peru's Congress voted to remove President Dina Boluarte from office. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)

Peru's interim President Jose Jeri wave to the press as he arrives at the government palace in Lima, Peru, Friday, Oct. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Guadalupe Pardo)

Opponents of Peruvian President Dina Boluarte protest outside of the Ecuadorian Embassy in Lima, Peru, Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)

Peru's former president of the Congress Jose Jeri, center, receives the presidential sash from congressman Fernando Rospigliosi, left, as he is sworn-in as the interim president in Lima, Peru, Friday, Oct. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/John Reyes)

Peru's former president of the Congress Jose Jeri, sings the national anthem after being sworn-in as the interim president in Lima, Peru, Friday, Oct. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/John Reyes)

BOSTON (AP) — When Zdeno Chara signed with the Boston Bruins in 2006, the No. 3 he wore early in his career had already been retired by the Original Six franchise.

So he picked No. 33 without giving it much thought.

“Little did I know how meaningful 33 was,” Chara said on Thursday night before his number was raised to the TD Garden rafters not far from where Larry Bird's No. 33 already hangs in Celtics green.

It is the 13th number retired by the Bruins, and the latest in a collection of Hall of Fame defenseman that runs from Eddie Shore to Bobby Orr to Raymond Bourque.

“It's a huge honor,” Chara told reporters. "I can’t explain to you how honored I feel. I’m humbled about being selected to be one of the numbers being retired. Being with that history, forever."

The 2009 Norris Trophy winner and a 2025 Hockey Hall of Fame inductee, Chara spent 14 of his 24 NHL seasons in Boston, leading the Bruins to the 2011 Stanley Cup championship. His 1,680 games is the most of any NHL defenseman; at 6 feet, 9 inches (2.06m), he is the tallest player in league history, and his 108.8 mph (175.1 kmh) slap shot in the 2012 skills competition remains the NHL record.

But his teammates and other Bruins attending Thursday's ceremony said Chara's biggest contribution was signing with a team that hadn't won a playoff series in six years — “the best decision I ever made” — and turning them into champions.

“Things really changed when Zee came here as a free agent,” Bourque said. "From that point on, the culture and everything that comes with that, and the success and the run that they had, he was such a big part of that.

“He’s a legend,” Bourque said. “He really deserves to be up there.”

Bourque was among the former Bruins greats in attendance, along with Orr — both of them, like Chara, Boston defensemen who finished their careers elsewhere on their way to the Hall of Fame. They arrived via gold carpet that led them past adoring fans and the statue of Orr flying through the air following his Cup-winning goal in the 1970 finals.

Other fellow retired number honorees in attendance included Cam Neely, Willie O’Ree, Rick Middleton, Terry O'Reilly and John Bucyk. The current Bruins sat on the bench, all wearing Chara jerseys.

Five members of the 2011 roster — Patrice Bergeron, Mark Recchi, Dennis Seidenberg, David Krejci and Tuukka Rask — carried the retired number onto the ice, and teammate Andrew Ference served as emcee.

In his speech, Chara read the names of every player on the Bruins last Cup winners. Asked why, he said after: “Without championships, you are not going to be successful, you’re not going to be recognized.

"The championships, that’s what they do. They raise everyone, they extend careers for everyone,” he explained. "They create dynasties. They create stories. They create memories. They created what we’re experiencing tonight.

"It’s very simple: Once you win the championship, everything gets so much better for everyone. And the most beautiful thing about it: You create extended families with each other. It’s true. You have bonds, you have friendships that are now still forever. It’s amazing; it’s like you’re seeing your brother. You trust the person; you know everything about them. And anytime anybody needs something, you’re there for them.

“That’s what winning championships do,” he said. “Not just for a career, but for the rest of your lives, it means something very special.”

The ceremony at center ice featured a “Big Zee” ice sculpture flanking the podium and a large No. 33 behind it. Fans were asked to get in their seats two hours early, and the full TD Garden erupted in a giant shout of “Zee!” followed by an extended cheer of “Thank you, Chara!”

A highlight video featured former Bruins Brad Marchand and current coach Marco Sturm, Chara's teammate from 2006-10. Many of them spoke of the way Chara led by example.

“He wasn’t really a ‘Rah, rah!’ guy,” former Bruins forward and current team president Neely said, “but when he spoke, it was with a purpose.”

And so, when it was time to raise his No. 33 to the rafters, Chara stood by with his wife, Tatiana, while their children — Zack, Ben and Elliz — pulled the ropes.

“That’s the biggest reward for me: To see my children and my family doing it instead of me. I think I get better joy watching them doing it than the joy of me doing it because it's so much more meaningful,” he explained. "They deserve that more than me."

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Former Boston Bruins captain Zdeno Chara speaks during his number retirement ceremony before an NHL hockey game between the Boston Bruins and the Seattle Kraken Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)

Former Boston Bruins captain Zdeno Chara leads his family over to his number "33" to raise it to the rafters before an NHL hockey game between the Boston Bruins and the Seattle Kraken, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)

Former Boston Bruins captain Zdeno Chara, center, waves to the crowd during his number retirement ceremony, as Bruins' players with their number already retired, from left, Willie O'Ree, Rick Middleton, Terrry O'Reilly, Cam Neely, emcee Andrew Ferrance and Bobby Orr look on before an NHL hockey game between the Boston Bruins and the Seattle Kraken, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)

Former Boston Bruins captain Zdeno Chara's number "33" is raised to the rafters at TD Garden before an NHL hockey game between the Boston Bruins and the Seattle Kraken Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)

Bobby Orr applauds, left bottom, as former Boston Bruins captain Zdeno Chara waves to the crowd during his number retirement ceremony before an NHL hockey game between the Boston Bruins and the Seattle Kraken, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)