Lima (AFP) - Lawmakers in Peru removed president Dina Boluarte from office just after midnight on Friday, ending a stint in office plagued by protests, corruption probes and rampant crime.

The 38-year-old head of the legislature, Jose Jeri, assumed the South American country’s presidency shortly after the vote, telling lawmakers he would lead a transitional government until elections in April 2026.

After being sworn in, Jeri vowed to spend the remainder of the presidential term cracking down on spiralling violence.

“The main enemy is outside, in the streets – the criminal gangs, the crime groups… we must declare war on them,” he said.

Boluarte’s ousting is the latest in a string of political upsets for Peru, which has had seven presidents in the past nine years.

Citing Boluarte’s “permanent moral incapacity”, Congress kicked the lightning swift impeachment proceedings into motion late Thursday, garnering support from across the political spectrum, including parties once loyal to her.

The lawmakers summoned Boluarte to appear before Congress at 11:30 pm (0430 GMT Friday), but she skipped the proceedings, which ended moments later with 122 votes to impeach her, according to an updated count announced by the legislature.

The ousted president’s lawyer, Juan Carlos Portugal, argued she was granted too little time to prepare, obstructing “due process”.

Outside parliament in the capital Lima, dozens of people gathered to celebrate Boluarte’s dismissal, an AFP correspondent said.

“Down with Dina,” read a sign held by one of the protestors.

Congresswoman Norma Yarrow, of right-wing party Popular Renewal, said that “the country has been mistreated by the cabinet and the president. Extortion and crime have increased… she deserves punishment.”

- Scandals and discontent -

Boluarte, 63, has constantly denied corruption allegations and promised to battle crime.

In a video statement released after the impeachment vote, she defended her achievements in office.

“At all times, I called for unity… I did not think about myself, but about the more than 34 million Peruvians,” she said.

Boluarte replaced leftist rural school teacher Pedro Castillo in December 2022 following his impeachment and imprisonment for trying to dissolve Congress. Castillo’s ouster, and Boluarte’s takeover sparked protests that left over 50 people dead.

Never popular, she faced down multiple attempts to remove her from office.

Frustrations mounted throughout her term, which was plagued by various scandals, investigations, controversies and a surge in gang violence.

She is the subject of multiple probes, including one for her alleged failure to declare gifts of luxury jewels and watches, a scandal dubbed “Rolexgate.”

She also gave herself a large pay increase in July.

Anti-government protests have mounted in recent weeks after the passage of a law on September 5 requiring young people to contribute to private pension funds, despite job insecurity and an unofficial employment rate of more than 70 percent.

Protests have also escalated over the past six months as Peru battles an unprecedented wave of violence linked to extortion rackets and murders by organized crime groups.

Boluarte is the third president to be removed by Congress in the last nine years, while two others resigned before they could be impeached, and one completed an interim term.