Lima: Peru’s embattled government asked Congress on Wednesday for a vote of confidence, conflicting with the fourteenth scandal: how the president came to have a collection of expensive Rolex watches and jewelry.
The appointment comes a month before Prime Minister Gustavo Adrianzen resigned amid allegations of political support for his predecessor’s young love interests.
Adrianzen, like the new prime minister, must go before Congress to get the green light to continue in office.
But the planned vote of confidence has become a key test of support for President Dina Boluarte’s fragile government after police raids on her home and office saw the resignation of six ministers.
If MPs reject a vote of no confidence in Adrianze, he will have to resign.
Such a result would cause a crisis in Peru, which has its sixth president in eight years.
Boluarte, 61, who has one of the lowest ratings, is under investigation for alleged corruption and failure to declare luxury watches – a scandal dubbed Rolexgate by local media.
Before the vote, Attorney General Juan Villena Boluarte announced an expanded investigation into “a $56,000 Cartier bracelet” and other jewelry worth more than $500,000. About $250,000 in bank deposits are also under investigation.
Boluarte came to power in December 2022 after former President Pedro Castillo attempted to dissolve Congress and the government by decree led to arrests and violent protests demanding his resignation and new elections.
He also faces a constitutional challenge over his crackdown on the protests, which have left more than 50 people dead.
The approval rate is close to 10 percent.
No watch was found in the raid and prosecutors ordered him to produce timestamps when he was arraigned on Friday.
If he is indicted in the Rolex case, he cannot be tried until his term ends in July 2026 or he is constitutionally impeached.
Impeachment votes can be held under vague “moral incompetence” rules that don’t require lawmakers to demonstrate wrongdoing.
Analyst Augusto Alvarez Rodríguez said, “Thus, it will be in Congress where the president will decide to stay or not.”
Left-leaning lawmakers have tabled three proposals to impeach Boluarte — the latest of which was launched Monday but has yet to advance to debate.
Analys Alvarez, a reporter for La Republica newspaper, said impeachment is unlikely because Congress wants to “avoid” calling early elections.
But Boluarte said he will be “strong” until the end of his term because “nobody wants to be a popular ally of the president when the 2026 elections are held.”
