José María Balcázar elected Peru’s new interim president | Peru
Peru’s congress elected José María Balcázar, an octogenarian leftist lawmaker who advocates child marriage, as the country’s new interim president on Wednesday ahead of general elections in April. Balcazar is Peru’s ninth president since 2016.
The surprise election, in which Balcázar defeated favorite conservative MP María del Carmen Alva, came after lawmakers voted on Tuesday to impeach his predecessor, José Jerí, over a scandal over secret meetings with Chinese businessmen.
Balcázar, of the leftist Peru Libre party, was immediately sworn in as Peru’s congress president on Wednesday, following a four-hour session in which none of the four candidates won a simple majority and lawmakers voted to elect Balcázar over Alva in a second round of voting.
Balcázar’s election led to accusations and denunciations among right-wing parties, as well as praise from left-wing political sectors in Peru. balcázar He joins a long list of leaders at a time of unprecedented political instability.
But what dominated Peruvian news following Balcázar’s unexpected election were his previous remarks expressing approval of sexual relations between 14-year-old girls and male teachers.
The former regional superior court judge sparked controversy by becoming the only lawmaker to criticize and vote against a 2023 measure banning child marriage. He said it should be limited to those under 14 only.
“From the age of 14, there should be no obstacles, everyone should have sexual intercourse, [male] teachers with their students, female teachers with their students, and between students too. That’s fine,” he told reporters after the congressional vote, later saying his words had been taken out of context.
On another occasion, as chairman of the congressional education committee, he said it was common for teachers to have sex with their students, even saying the relationship could be “beneficial” for minors. In a statement made by the Peruvian women’s ministry at the time: He strongly criticized his remarks on the grounds that they legitimized “sexual violence against school-aged children and adolescents, a painful and despicable situation that profoundly affects their general well-being and fundamental rights.”
Balcázar was investigated for alleged embezzlement while he was president of the bar association in his hometown of Lambayeque. He was expelled from the association in 2022 after a disciplinary hearing.
The former judge went on record as saying that he would release jailed former leftist leader Pedro Castillo, who was sentenced to 11 years, five months and 15 days in prison by Peru’s supreme court in November for trying to dissolve the congress and rule by decree in December 2022.
