Parliament elected this Wednesday José María Balcázar as president of the Board of Directors and, consequently, assumed the Interim Presidency of the Republic after the president’s censure José Jerí. The now head of state will hold office until July 28, 2026.
This designation occurred after an internal process, with four lists competing for the leadership of Parliament, in which Balcázar also participated. Hector Acuna of Honor and Democracy, Edgar Reymundo of the Popular Democratic Bloc and Maria del Carmen Alva of Popular Action. Congressmen Lady Camones from Alianza para el Progreso (APP) and Alejandro Cavero from Avanza País were the scrutineers of the vote.
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At the time of casting his vote, a brief exchange was recorded between the president of Congress, Fernando Rospigliosiand the congressman Jaime Quito of the Socialist Caucus. The reasons for the incident were not specified.
In the first round, the results were as follows: Héctor Acuña obtained 13 votes, María del Carmen Alva received 43, Edgard Reymundo obtained 7 and José María Balcázar obtained 46 votes; Therefore, it was Balcázar and Alva who went to the second round to define the next president of Congress.
At the end of the first round, the parliamentary members of the Popular Democratic Bloc (BDP), made up of Sigrid Bazán, Ruth Luque, Susel Paredes, Edgar Reymundo and Carlos Zeballos, chose to withdraw from the vote.
“We are not going to participate in the second vote,” he said. Luke. “It is the same table that supported Dina Boluarte and Jerí. They do not offer guarantees of transparency. The 3 congressmen do not see themselves represented by any of the options. Let the congressmen be responsible for their votes for the parties that led us to this crisis,” he added. Bazan.
Finally, in the second round, Balcázar obtained 64 votes and 46 votes for María del Carmen Alva.
After the announcement of Balcázar as the winner, Fuerza Popular held a press conference, and they accused Renovación Popular of this result. “We have said it clearly, Renovación Popular has committed an act of irresponsibility, it was only because of their ego that they brought us to this situation. You are witnesses that now Peru Libre is coming to the Palace again. Balcázar has promised to pardon Castillo, all the work we did so that Mr. Castillo ends up where he is,” said Martha Moyano.
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Acción Popular and Fuerza Popular announced their support for Maricarmen Alva
Hours before the vote, Popular Action He had announced his support for the congresswoman, who is a member of his caucus. “The National General Secretariat expresses its firm support for the candidacy of our coreligionist for the presidency of the Congress of the Republic, convinced that her career, leadership and commitment to acciopopulist values guarantee responsible leadership at this crucial moment for the nation,” they said in a statement.
It is worth mentioning that at first, the Renovación Popular candidate, Rafael López Aliaga, indicated that Fuerza Popular would vote in favor of the candidacy of José María Balcázar to preside over the Board of Directors of Congress. “A fraction of FP—the so-called “Babys” or “widows”—would be willing to give their votes to Balcázar. FP once again hands Peru over to the radical left. It is not a rumor: it is an open secret,” the candidate indicated on his social networks.
However, the Fuerza Popular party announced at a press conference that they would support Alva. “The country needs order, we opposed censorship to avoid that (…) We believe that the country cannot resist more improvisations (…) we will support Maricarmen Alva hoping that his management preserves stability,” they said. It is important to remember that this bench opposed Jerí’s departure despite the questions against him for clandestine meetings with Chinese businessmen and night visits to the Government Palace.
On the other hand, parliamentarian Guido Bellido of Podemos Peru also spoke out through his social networks to indicate that he would not support the candidacy of Maricarmen Alva, and stated that his application responded to the proposal of Rafael López Aliaga. “Even if they tortured me or forced me by any means, there is no way I would vote for Maricarmen Alva. Don’t call me in prison anymore: I am not going to vote for Rafael López’s proposal,” he wrote.
Balcazar was a senior member of the Superior Court of Justice of Lambayeque and a provisional supreme member of the Supreme Court of Justice. In 2023, Balcázar expressed that early sexual relations help a woman’s psychological future, during the debate on a ruling to prevent child marriage.
“Marriage in Peru has become dysfunctional, girls have been pregnant since they were 14. Sexual relations are early and legal medicine knows that as long as there is no violence, relationships help a woman’s psychological future. That has been studied,” he said.
When rebuked, far from rectifying himself, Balcázar chose to reaffirm his position, without any scientific basis for what he mentioned. “Relationships between 14 years and older are not traumatic for minors, on the contrary, they are beneficial,” he added.
He also faces a constitutional complaint for alleged exchange of favors with the former Attorney General, Patricia Benavides, under the thesis that she would have coordinated parliamentary votes in exchange for the filing of her criminal proceedings in Lambayeque.
Before being elected, the Illustrious Bar Association of Lambayeque (CAL) released a statement titled: “Why Congressman José María Balcázar cannot and should not be elected as president of Congress.”
In it, the CAL pointed out that Balcázar’s nomination has generated “deep concern, indignation, discomfort, pain and sadness.”
“We categorically reject the possibility that, even on an interim basis, someone who has caused and continues to cause, with his misconduct, serious harm to his own professional association is chosen from among 130 people,” the statement underlines. The institution detailed that the congressman was charged with ethical, civil and criminal charges, including appropriation of institution funds, changes of ownership in accounts of different financial entities, complaints and defrauding a legal entity, all of them during his period as dean.
