Peru's Congress leader Jose Jeri took over the helm of the South American country on Friday after lawmakers voted to remove president Dina Boluarte.

"Today, I humbly assume the presidency of the republic... in order to install and lead a transitional government," Jeri told parliament after being sworn in.

Jeri said "we must declare war on crime" and that the "enemies are criminal gangs on the streets".

Lawmakers had voted to accept four requests for a vote to remove Boluarte from office over what they said is her government’s inability to stem crime. They exceeded the minimum 56 votes required for each request, setting up a debate and impeachment trial in the 130-member unicameral Congress.

Lawmakers then requested that Boluarte come before them on Thursday shortly before midnight to defend herself, but when she did not appear they immediately voted to oust her. In short order, 124 lawmakers voted just past midnight to impeach Boluarte.

The shocking turn of events came just hours after a shooting at a concert in the capital inflamed anger over crime roiling the South American nation.

Unlike eight previous attempts to remove her, almost all legislative factions expressed support for the latest requests.

Boluarte took office in December 2022 after parliament used the same mechanism to impeach her predecessor.

Boluarte’s government has struggled to respond to the spike in crime, particularly homicides and extortion. On Wednesday, she partially blamed the situation on immigrants living in the country illegally.

“This crime has been brewing for decades and has been strengthened by illegal immigration, which past administrations haven’t defeated," she said during a military ceremony. “Instead, they’ve opened the doors of our borders and allowed criminals to enter everywhere... without any restrictions.”

Official figures show that 6,041 people were killed between January and mid-August, the highest since 2017. Meanwhile, extortion complaints totaled 15,989 between January and July, a 28 percent increase compared to the same period in 2024.

The country’s latest presidential crisis erupted after a man opened fire and injured five people Wednesday during a concert of Peru’s most popular cumbia groups, Agua Marina. (Agencies)