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President of Peru, Dina Boluarte, at risk of impeachment for nose surgery

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By Deutsche Welle

04 Dec 2024, 08:27 AM EST

A nose job for the president of Peru, Dina Boluarte unleashed an intense controversy that could lead Congress to dismiss heralleging that he endangered the governability of the country by not delegating the position.

The surgery of Boluarte, 62, was the talk of every day on social networks and the local press since July 2023, but it was only confirmed when his former chief of staff Alberto Otárola revealed it before a congressional commission.

“He told me that he was going to have a rhinoplasty…an operation on his nose, but due to breathing problems“Otárola said this Tuesday to parliamentarians investigating the case.

The Congressional oversight commission seeks to find out what happened to Boluarte between June 28 and July 10, 2023, when he was absent from all events. That period coincides with his surgery, performed at a clinic in Lima, local media reported.

The former chief of staff specified that during his recovery, Boluarte carried out his work virtually.

“There was no absence of power at that time, because the surgical procedure had no major complications.“added Otárola, whom Boluarte dismissed in March.

Constitutional violation

According to the local press, the president underwent facial surgery without informing or delegating powers to the Peruvian Congress.

According to some parliamentarians and jurists, Boluarte would have committed a constitutional infraction, subject to a dismissal or vacancy process in accordance with the Constitution.

“It would be a cause of vacancy (…) because the president had to ask Congress for permission“Lawmaker Juan Burgos, head of the oversight commission, told journalists.

The vice president of Congress, Patricia Juárez, minimized the controversy by considering that “a storm is brewing in a glass of water.”

Boluarte has been on the edge of the ledge for months due to a luxury watch scandal that has her in the crosshairs of the Prosecutor’s Office and the killing of 50 civilians in the repression of protests when she assumed power in 2022.

She lacks her own bench and has a disapproval rate of almost 95% in the polls. His term ends in July 2026.

Continue reading:
• Alejandro Toledo in Peru: what the former Peruvian president is accused of and why his extradition took so long
• US judge orders former president Alejandro Toledo arrested and extradited to Peru
• Protests in Peru: what is happening in the south of the country and why it became the epicenter of violent unrest against the new government