Peru's eighth president in a decade has faced criticism within hours of taking office, with scrutiny over past remarks on child marriage and previous misconduct allegations.
Jose Maria Balcazar, 83, was named interim leader on Wednesday for just over five months after his predecessor, Jose Jeri, was impeached over graft allegations.
Jeri, 39, became the latest president to fall amid a cycle of institutional turmoil in which Congress has clashed with a weakened executive against a backdrop of chronic corruption and rising violence.
In the past decade, four presidents have been impeached, two have resigned to avoid the same fate and only one has completed a full term.
Four former leaders are currently behind bars.
A lawyer and former judge representing the leftist Peru Libre party, Balcazar was removed from the Supreme Court bench in 2011 for misconduct and expelled from a regional bar association in 2022 for ethical and criminal violations.
Non-governmental organisations have also criticised his past comments on women's rights.
Controversial record
During a 2023 congressional debate on ending child marriage, Balcazar said "early sexual relations aid a woman's psychological future."
Peru passed a reform that year banning marriage for anyone under 18, a change he had opposed.
The Flora Tristan Peruvian Women’s Center described his nomination as emblematic of a "profound ethical and democratic crisis" in the country.
Balcazar has said his remarks were distorted and taken out of context.
Fernando Rospigliosi, interim president of Congress, called Jeri’s removal "a very serious mistake," while former presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori said Balcazar's nomination marked "a very sad day for the country."
