Inauguration , August 2023 at the APEC Summit in Peru, November 2024 On 7 December 2022, during the
Peruvian political crisis, after Pedro Castillo
attempted to dissolve the
Congress of the Republic of Peru during impeachment proceedings against him, Boluarte condemned the move as a "breakdown of the constitutional order" and assumed the presidency after the impeachment of Castillo. Boluarte thus became Peru's first female president. Boluarte's presidency was the most recent instance in Peruvian history where the first vice president
succeeded a president who could no longer serve, after First Vice President
Martín Vizcarra became president upon the resignation of President
Pedro Pablo Kuczynski in 2018. Peru had seven presidents from 2015 to 2022. In her first speech to the Congress, she denounced President Castillo and declared her will to form a national unity government to resolve the present political crisis. In the formation of her government, she consulted all the major parties, but selected no members of Congress. Instead she formed what was widely viewed as a
technocratic government led by
Pedro Angulo Arana, an attorney who faced 13 criminal investigations as of his appointment in December 2022, including abuse of authority, abuse of public administration, abuse of public faith, blackmail, extortion and others. Observers commented that with growing protests and an undefined support base, Boluarte's government would likely not be given the space, either by Congress or the people, to succeed.
Recognition International recognition of Boluarte's government has been mixed. Members of the
São Paulo Forum like
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil and
Gabriel Boric of Chile recognize Boluarte. The United States has recognized Boluarte as president. Spain was also in support, championing a return to "constitutional order."
Bolivia,
Colombia,
Honduras,
Mexico and
Venezuela supported Pedro Castillo as the President of Peru following the events in December 2022 and refused to recognize Boluarte. The issue of international recognition soon after became irrelevant as she received recognition as the legitimate president from most international leaders.
Protests representatives meeting with President Boluarte during the
2022 Peruvian political protests According to
CNN, the Boluarte government "has responded to protesters with both
stick and carrot; President Boluarte has offered the possibility of holding early elections, while her Defense Minister Luis Alberto Otárola ... declared a state of emergency and deployed troops to the street."
The New York Times would describe Boluarte's response as "
hawkish". On 14 December,
Alberto Otárola, Boluarte's defense minister, declared a
state of emergency for 30 days to quell "acts of violence and vandalism." Responding to protests, Boluarte said she does not understand why anyone would protest against her and supported the repressive response of authorities. Boluarte's response has been widely condemned by NGOs, while being supported by more right-leaning parties in Congress. Protests have for the most part, been the most fierce and disruptive in
Quechua majority regions, the center of Castillo's support. Given the harshness of the Boluarte government's response, this has led some to draw comparison between Boluarte's actions and that of previous anti-Native governments of Peru, which drew comparisons between
indigenous groups and the
Shining Path, as to persecute them. Boluarte would also state that the demonstrations occurred due to
blackmail and provocations by Bolivian officials, In a joint statement in January 2023, over 2,000 academics and researchers expressed their "strongest rejection of the authoritarian course that the government of Dina Boluarte and Alberto Otárola" and believed "that these are not isolated events but a pattern of conduct that places us in a dangerous transition to authoritarianism", concluding that "If President Boluarte is only able to offer the country confrontation and violence, she should resign". Notable signers included
Steven Levitsky,
Lucía Dammert,
Martín Tanaka,
Daniel Alarcón,
Josep Joan Moreso,
Gerardo L. Munck,
Mirtha Vásquez,
Sara Beatriz Guardia and
Carmen Mc Evoy. and even sing a song of the same name.
Ayacucho massacre and cabinet reorganization On 15 December 2022, the
Peruvian Army massacred protesters in
Ayacucho demonstrating against the Boluarte government. During the protests, the situation intensified when the military deployed helicopters to fire at protesters, who later tried to take over the city's airport, which was defended by the Peruvian Army and the
National Police of Peru. Troops responded by firing
live ammunition at protesters, resulting in ten dead and 61 injured; 90% of the injured had
gunshot wounds while those killed were shot in the head or torso. The founder of the Peruvian Forensic Anthropology Team (EPAF),
forensic anthropologist Carmen Rosa Cardoza, analysed evidence surrounding those who were killed, saying that the military was shooting to kill and that the gunshot wounds in the head and torso were consistent with wounds suffered during human rights violations, explaining that wounds during an armed conflict are usually found on the extremities. Gloria Cano, attorney for the Association for Human Rights (Aprodeh) who analyzed human rights abuses during the
internal conflict in Peru, said officers likely ordered troops to simply "eliminate the enemy" and did not specify actions to take against protesters, with the attorney stating officers "had to explain to them that in case of need they had to shoot into the air, to the ground. If they take them out without giving them specific orders, they will do what they learn, which is to shoot the vital segments of the human body". In addition to the prime minister, she named a new interior minister, defense minister and education minister.
Juliaca massacre At least 18 people were killed and over 100 injured by police responding to protests in
Juliaca, with all of the deaths being attributed to
gunshot wounds. While discussing the violence, Boluarte said that
Bolivia was responsible, stating "Today we know that a type of firearms and ammunition would have entered the country through southern Peru" and that protesters were not shot by authorities, saying the ammunition found in victims was used "neither by the National Police nor by the Armed Forces". According to
La República, videos and photographic evidence showed that the PNP used long rifles to fire at demonstrators and individuals nearby. Dany Humpire Molina, former manager of Expertise at the Public Prosecutor's Office and a doctor in
forensic science, stated: "The projectiles seem to have been fired by
AKM rifles, which is weapons used by the National Police, ... If the bullets were found inside the body, they are described as penetrating. When the shots are of a penetrating type, as is the case, they are long-distance. And if the necropsy protocol determines that they went from behind, it means that, at the time of the shooting, the demonstrators were running, fleeing."
Legal action On 10 January 2023, Attorney General of Peru
Patricia Benavides announced investigations for the alleged crimes of
genocide,
aggravated homicide and serious injuries against Boluarte, along with Prime Minister Alberto Otárola, Minister of the Interior Víctor Rojas and Minister of Defense Jorge Chávez. In January 2025, she appeared before persecutors to explain allegations that she took a 2-week break from serving as president in July 2023 to undergo
plastic surgery. Boluarte maintains that it was a medical necessity.
Vacancy motions In April 2023, Boluarte faced a vacancy motion due to her response to the protests against her, though Congress voted against proceedings against her. A second motion for vacancy was opened in October 2023 due to some left-wing benches in Congress believing that Boluarte violated Article 115 of the constitution for leading Peru without congressional approval, especially since she did not have a vice president, though right-wing members of Congress refused to vote for the proceedings. On 1 April 2024, a third motion for vacancy was opened by lawmakers from various parties, citing tax investigations against Boluarte and her failure to solve other issues such as crime. Another vacancy motion was filed on 17 May citing "moral incapacity" in the wake of investigations into her ownership of luxury watches and the arrest of her brother on suspicion of influence-peddling, in addition to the dissolution of a police anti-corruption unit.
Rolexgate In March 2024, the
Public Ministry of Peru began investigating Boluarte for
graft and
illicit enrichment after she was seen wearing luxury
Rolex watches at public events, with the controversy being dubbed "Rolexgate". Boluarte's use of Rolex watches was first reported by news website
La Encerrona on 14 March 2024; the website reviewed about 10,000 images and detailed how her watches became increasingly luxurious as her time in public office progressed. Reviewing
La Encerronas work, the
Associated Press noted that one of the Rolex watches Boluarte used was three times her monthly salary. When asked about her watches at a press conference on 15 March, Boluarte said "what I have is the result of my effort and my work". While Boluarte said that the Rolex watch was a dated model,
La República contacted an American watch store that said the model was possibly from 2023 and valued it at US$19,535, with the newspaper saying that Boluarte's response was "an alleged contradiction". Days later, Henry Shimabukuro, a businessman who assisted with Boluarte's political campaign, said that assistants for Boluarte suggested gifts of jewelry when meeting with her. A preliminary investigation was opened by the Public Ministry on 18 March 2024 to investigate Boluarte on allegations of illicit enrichment. The Financial Intelligence Unit of the Superintendency of Banks and Insurance Companies (SBS) said that Boluarte received 1.1 million
Peruvian soles (US$) from unidentified accounts between 2016 and 2022, according to a report by
El Comercio on 25 March. On 29 March,
La Republica identified a
Cartier bracelet used by Boluarte that was 18 carat gold, covered with 204 diamonds and had an estimated value of more than US$54,000. On 30 March 2024, about 20 police and 20 public ministry officials raided Boluarte's home in
Surquillo, breaking down her door with a sledgehammer while saying their involvement was "for the purpose of search and seizure." After searching her home, the authorities then entered the
Government Palace for further investigations; Boluarte was present. Boluarte's prime minister,
Gustavo Adrianzén, condemned the actions of authorities, stating "The political noise that is being made is serious, affecting investments and the entire country... What has happened in the last few hours are disproportionate and unconstitutional actions."
Other controversies Prime ministers Boluarte's first prime minister
Pedro Angulo Arana was dismissed a week after his appointment. In March 2024, investigations revealed that Boluarte's next prime minister
Alberto Otárola had benefited a friend, Yaziré Pinedo Vásquez later revealed to be a romantic interest, with public contracts as Minister of Defense. Otárola then resigned, after it was revealed he faked audio from 2021 to hide his relationship with Vásquez. Otárola's replacement
Gustavo Adrianzén served until May 2025 when he resigned amid a threats of a censure vote caused by the kidnapping and killing of 13 miners by illegal miners earlier in the month, amid rising crime. He was replaced by Minister of Justice
Eduardo Arana Ysa, who remains under investigation for ties to a criminal organization led by former judge
César Hinostroza, unpaid alimony, and
influence peddling.
Family controversies In November 2023, the Public Ministry summoned Dina Boluarte's brother, Nicanor, for the alleged crime of collusion when he allocated money to five public works in
Nanchoc District,
Cajamarca province. According to former assistant Maritza Sánchez for
La República , Nicanor had a relevant position for her mandate due to his close ties with authorities. In response, Boluarte said that "the relative they mentioned" is not affiliated with the State, so she indicated that her brother can receive "whoever he wants". Since then, she accused the Sunday newspaper
Cuarto poder for broadcasting reports that according to her "are programmatically [defaming] my brother". Nicanor continued to appear in leaked audio recordings about new unqualified hires and, according to one of the witnesses close to the Boluarte brothers, the Peruvian Sports Institute had been used to make irregular hires. Nicanor was arrested in May 2024, while his political party was founded in January 2025. In May 2025, Boluarte traveled to
Rome to attend the inaugural mass of
Pope Leo XIV, a citizen of Peru who had spent years as a missionary and later bishop in the country.
Impeachment The continuing
security crisis, combined with numerous corruption controversies, cost Boluarte support among her allies in Congress. In October, Congress considered four articles of impeachment against Boluarte. Congress summoned her to present her defense. On 10 October 2025, Congress voted to remove Boluarte from office on grounds of "permanent moral incapacity" with a total of 122 votes, exceeding the 87 votes (out of 130) needed to impeach her. She refused to appear in Congress to defend herself, denied all the accusations against her, and listed all the achievements of her administration. At the same session
José Jerí,
President of the Congress, was named her successor. A request by the State Prosecutor's Office to prevent Boluarte from leaving Peru was rejected on 15 October by a court. == Political ideology ==