ALBAWABA- Thousands of Peruvians took to the streets of Lima on Wednesday, October 15, 2025, demanding the resignation of interim President José Jerí and members of Congress, in the most violent unrest since his appointment last week.
The demonstrations, led by Generation Z activists and joined by unions, students, and transport workers, turned chaotic as protesters clashed with riot police near the Congress building, hurling rocks, tearing down barricades, and setting effigies on fire while chanting “¡Jerí, out!” and calling for early elections.
Police responded with tear gas and rubber bullets, sealing off Plaza San Martín and Abancay Avenue.
The violence left one protester dead and more than 100 people injured, including civilians and security officers, according to the state ombudsman’s office, which opened an investigation into alleged police misconduct. The victim was identified as 31-year-old Eduardo Mauricio Ruiz. Dozens were arrested for vandalism and public disorder.
Protesters accuse Jerí’s government of corruption, incompetence, and pursuing right-wing policies that favor elites while ignoring rising crime and inequality. Anger has grown over proposed legislation easing firearm and mining regulations, amid a surge in gang violence and extortion that has claimed hundreds of lives this year.
“This Congress is corrupt—they change presidents like puppets while we bury our dead,” said Maria Alvarez, a 22-year-old student organizer, referring to the deadly 2022–2023 protests under former president Dina Boluarte.
Jerí, 38, a lawmaker from the center-right Somos Perú party, was sworn in on October 10 after Boluarte’s ouster for “moral incapacity.” Promising a “war on crime,” he appointed a cabinet of technocrats and hardliners, but his approval rating remains in single digits, reflecting Peru’s deep political fatigue.
