11 Presidents in 25 Years: Peru's Institutional Collapse
- João Pedro Nascimento
- Oct 14
- 4 min read
Note: The views expressed in this text are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of this website.
The almost uninterrupted succession of deposed or imprisoned presidents in Peru is not the result of occasional crises, but of a structural fragility in the political system. Since the 1993 Constitution, drafted under Fujimori, the Peruvian Congress has had broad powers to remove the president for "moral incapacity," a vague concept that has become a tool of political dispute. This created an institutional paradox: the Executive is formally elected, but the Legislature has the practical capacity to overthrow it at any time and has used this power repeatedly. The result is a cycle of chronic instability, in which no government can consolidate a medium-term agenda or carry out structural reforms.
List of Presidents of Peru since 2000:
Alberto Fujimori (1990–2000) – fell in 2000 after scandals of corruption and authoritarianism.
Valentín Paniagua (2000–2001) – interim president after Fujimori’s departure.
Alejandro Toledo (2001–2006) – completed his term; later convicted of corruption (Odebrecht case).
Alan García (2006–2011) – completed his term; investigated for corruption and committed suicide in 2019.
Ollanta Humala (2011–2016) – completed his term; convicted in 2025 of corruption and money laundering.
Pedro Pablo Kuczynski (2016–2018) – resigned after corruption allegations.
Martín Vizcarra (2018–2020) – removed by Congress for “moral incapacity.”
Manuel Merino (Nov. 2020) – resigned after protests; governed only 5 days.
Francisco Sagasti (2020–2021) – served as interim president until the 2021 elections.
Pedro Castillo (2021–2022) – removed after trying to dissolve Congress; imprisoned for rebellion.
Dina Boluarte (2022–2025) – removed in October 2025 for “moral incapacity”; succeeded by José Jerí Oré.
Peru lacks solid and ideologically coherent political parties. Coalitions are fragile and personalist, with leaders more dependent on their individual image than on party bases. This fragmentation creates minority governments from the outset, unable to sustain alliances in Congress. Thus, each political crisis quickly becomes a struggle for survival, and the country operates under a short-term logic dominated by scandals, shifting loyalties, and informal negotiations.
With almost all former presidents prosecuted or imprisoned, and successive accusations against parliamentarians and governors, Peruvian society has lost trust in institutions. The term “moral incapacity” has come to symbolize not only a legal mechanism but a social judgment on the entire political elite. This widespread perception of corruption has undermined the legitimacy of the State and opened space for populism and anti-party sentiment. In recent years, the political vacuum has coincided with the expansion of organized crime, especially extortion gangs and urban drug trafficking. With fragmented public power, mayors and local legislators become vulnerable to capture by illicit networks, a process already observed in countries like Mexico and Ecuador. The trend is for public security to replace corruption as the main political issue, which may favor authoritarian or populist figures promising “order and discipline.”
From a regional standpoint, Peru is strategic in South America for its direct access to the Pacific Ocean, which connects it to Asia, and for being a major exporter of essential minerals such as copper and gold. It also participates in regional energy and logistics integration projects, making its stability crucial for continental trade and infrastructure. Chronic instability reduces political predictability and deters foreign investment, especially in the copper sector, which is critical for the global energy transition. This strengthens the position of neighboring countries such as Chile and Colombia in the competition for foreign capital. Furthermore, the internal leadership vacuum hinders Peru’s role in regional blocs (such as the Pacific Alliance and CAN), reducing its diplomatic projection capacity. The scenario also opens space for greater influence from external actors, especially China, which seeks to secure infrastructure and mining contracts even in unstable contexts, reinforcing a pattern of economic dependence without institutional reciprocity.
Prospective Scenarios
In the short and medium term (2025–2026), Peru is likely to remain in a mode of political containment, with José Jerí’s transitional government functioning more as an emergency administration than as an effective leadership. The main possible scenarios are:
Scenario 1 – Continuity of instability (most likely): party fragmentation and tensions between the Executive and Congress persist, with the risk of new vacancies or dissolutions. The 2026 elections are expected to be highly polarized, with populist and authoritarian appeal.
Scenario 2 – Authoritarian reconfiguration: amid rising violence and social fatigue, a “law and order” candidate (such as Rafael López Aliaga) may emerge with a tough discourse against crime and political elites, promising to restore authority. This would be a kind of new “Fujimorismo” adapted to the 21st century.
Scenario 3 – Institutional reconciliation (less likely): a broad and pragmatic coalition could seek reform to limit political games, promoting institutional stability. However, the current context makes this outcome unlikely without strong international pressure or social mobilization.
Peru is experiencing an institutional collapse, a crisis of legitimacy and of the State, not merely of government. The succession of deposed presidents is a symptom of an exhausted system in which power has become so fragmented that no one truly governs. Without deep institutional reform and a political pact to restore public trust, the country will remain trapped in the cycle of crises, vulnerable to strongman solutions and the advance of organized crime.
Recommended books for those who wish to delve deeper into the topic:
References
AQUINO, Marco. Factbox: Peru’s presidents and years of political turmoil. Reuters, 2022. Disponível em: <https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/perus-presidents-years-political-turmoil-2022-12-07/>.
TAJ, Mitra; GLATSKY, Genevieve. Peru Ousts President Amid Crime Surge. The New York Times, 2025. Disponível em: <https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/10/world/americas/peru-president-boluarte-impeached.html>.
VENTAS, Leire. Peru: por que presidente Dina Boluarte foi afastada do cargo em meio à onda de violência no país. BBC News Brasil, 2025. Disponível em: <https://www.bbc.com/portuguese/articles/c8648545eljo>.
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