Multiple legislative requests to vote on the removal of Peruvian President Dina Boluarte were submitted to Parliament on Thursday as the country was plunged into a political crisis triggered by rising crime, after almost all political parties announced their support for the president's removal.

Three formal requests to remove Boluarte for alleged “moral incapacity” were submitted to Parliament in the afternoon, six months before the elections scheduled for April 2026, when a new president, 130 deputies, and 60 senators will be elected.

Fuerza Popular, Alianza para el Progreso, and Renovación Popular—the main legislative groups that have protected Boluarte since the beginning of her term in December 2022—announced during the day that they had changed their position and would support the requests to remove the president.

According to the law, 26 signatures from the 130 legislators are needed to submit a request for presidential impeachment to Parliament. Then, 56 votes are required to admit the request for a presidential impeachment vote to debate, and finally, another 87 votes are needed to remove the president from office.

Since the beginning of her term, seven legislative motions to remove Boluarte from office have been filed, but none have been successful due to the protection she has received from the main legislative groups. Boluarte does not have her own legislative bloc.

The political crisis erupted during the day after an armed attack on Wednesday night left five people wounded by gunfire against one of Peru's most popular cumbia groups, Agua Marina. The armed attack is yet another sign of the country's rise in crime—especially murders and extortion—that the Boluarte government has failed to stop.

Boluarte came to power on 7 December 2022, succeeding then-President Pedro Castillo (2021-2022), of whom she was vice president. Castillo attempted to dissolve Parliament, but the legislature removed him from office. Castillo is being held in provisional detention while he stands trial for alleged rebellion and is under investigation by prosecutors for corruption.

Produced by Mauricio Muñoz