In just 53 days, on April 12, the country will head to the ballot box to vote for a new president. If no candidate gains more than 50 percent of the vote, a run-off will be held in June.
Traditionally, Peru’s president-elects are inaugurated on the country’s Independence Day in late July. That ceremony will mark the end of Balcazar’s leadership.
Balcazar’s short tenure is the latest sign of turbulence in Peru’s government. Of Peru’s last eight presidents, four have been impeached and removed from office, and two have resigned before their term’s end.
The last president to serve a complete term was Ollanta Humala, whose presidency ended in July 2016.
Balcazar’s ascent to the presidency, however, was marked by its own turmoil. In an initial round of voting, centre-right lawyer Maria del Carmen Alva, 58, and Balcazar, 83, came out ahead, with 43 and 46 votes respectively.
But they both fell short of the 59 votes needed to be president, so another round of voting was announced. The left-wing party Together for Peru, however, decided to boycott the second round.
Balcazar ultimately won after a tally of the 113 congressional votes cast. He received 60 votes
Now we are deeply concerned about the results because we could be handing over even the presidency of the republic to the left, embodied by Balcazar. May God help Peru.”
Balcazar hails from the left-wing Peru Libre — or Free Peru — party. Born in the northern department of Cajamarca, near the border with Ecuador, he studied law and eventually became a professor and a judge.
His time in the judiciary, however, was not without controversy. In 2004, while serving as a provisional member of Peru’s Supreme Court, he attempted to overturn a cassation ruling that was considered a final judgment under the law.
He was subjected to disciplinary hearings, and Peru’s National Board of Justice (CNM) ultimately decided not to renew his term on the high court’s bench.
Since 2021, Balcazar has been a member of Congress, briefly separating from the Free Peru for a period to join the Peru Bicentenario party.
Like many of Peru’s recent presidents, Balcazar has also been dogged by the spectre of corruption and scandal.
His defence of child marriage has raised eyebrows when Congress debated a law to outlaw the practice in 2023. And he has faced investigations for misappropriating money from the Lambayeque Bar Association and for his involvement in a bribery scandal involving former Attorney General Patricia Benavides.
But despite his prominent controversies, Balcazar’s candidacy was able to unify enough lawmakers to win the vote, no small feat in Peru’s fragmented Congress.
Now we are deeply concerned about the results because we could be handing over even the presidency of the republic to the left, embodied by Balcazar. May God help Peru.”
Balcazar hails from the left-wing Peru Libre — or Free Peru — party. Born in the northern department of Cajamarca, near the border with Ecuador, he studied law and eventually became a professor and a judge.
His time in the judiciary, however, was not without controversy. In 2004, while serving as a provisional member of Peru’s Supreme Court, he attempted to overturn a cassation ruling that was considered a final judgment under the law.
He was subjected to disciplinary hearings, and Peru’s National Board of Justice (CNM) ultimately decided not to renew his term on the high court’s bench.
Since 2021, Balcazar has been a member of Congress, briefly separating from the Free Peru for a period to join the Peru Bicentenario party.
Like many of Peru’s recent presidents, Balcazar has also been dogged by the spectre of corruption and scandal.
His defence of child marriage has raised eyebrows when Congress debated a law to outlaw the practice in 2023. And he has faced investigations for misappropriating money from the Lambayeque Bar Association and for his involvement in a bribery scandal involving former Attorney General Patricia Benavides.
But despite his prominent controversies, Balcazar’s candidacy was able to unify enough lawmakers to win the vote, no small feat in Peru’s fragmented Congress.
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