Peru’s Congress on Wednesday elected left-wing lawmaker José María Balcázar as its new president, placing him in the role of head of state until July 2026 under the country’s constitutional succession rules.

Balcázar succeeds José Jerí, who was removed from office a day earlier following a censure vote in the legislature. Lawmakers meeting in Lima selected a new congressional leader after approving the motion against Jerí during an extraordinary plenary session.

Under Peru’s constitution, the president of Congress assumes the presidency when the executive branch is vacant. Jerí, 39, had taken on the role in October in his capacity as head of Congress after President Dina Boluarte was removed from office. Boluarte had led the executive branch following the 2022 removal and detention of President Pedro Castillo.

Balcázar, 83, was born on January 17, 1943, according to RPP Noticias. A lawyer by training, he previously served as a superior court judge and as a provisional justice on Peru’s Supreme Court before entering politics.

In 2023, while serving as president of Congress’s Education Commission, Balcázar drew criticism over remarks in which he appeared to justify child marriage, according to local media reports.

Since April of last year, he has also faced a constitutional complaint alleging corruption in a case that includes former Attorney General Patricia Benavides, RPP Noticias reported.

Balcázar’s election followed a 75-24 vote, with three abstentions, to remove Jerí from the presidency of Congress, triggering the latest leadership change in a country that has faced years of political instability and rapid turnover at the top levels of government.