Why President Dina Boluarte's nose job has sparked a political scandal in Peru

Peruvian lawmakers are demanding President Dina Boluarte’s resignation — over a nose job.

Officials are accusing the 62-year-old of failing to delegate her duties when she took time off to get her nose done.

They are claiming Boluarte is irresponsible and unfit for the role of president.

While speculation was rife over Boluarte’s absence from public view for some time in late June, the news of her surgery was only confirmed when former Peruvian prime minister Alberto Otarola officially informed a congressional commission.

Here’s what need to know

What happened?

Peruvian President Dina Boluarte got a rhinoplasty done this year for which she took some time off. But lawmakers in the country are angry as she was absent from the public eye without any notice or even delegating her work.

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According to former Peruvian prime minister Alberto Otarola, she was getting her nose done. “She told me she was going to get a rhinoplasty… a surgery on the nose, but for breathing problems,” Otarola told lawmakers conducting an inquiry into the matter.

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Now, the Congressional Oversight Commission is probing where Boluarte was when she completely disappeared from public view.

Local media reported that Boluarte had the surgery at a clinic in Lima without informing the public or delegating her powers to Congress.

Otarola claimed that Boluarte carried out her duties virtually during her recovery.

“There was no absence of power at that time because the surgical procedure had no major complications,” added Otarola, who was dismissed by Boluarte in March.

What do lawmakers want?

Lawmakers and legal experts in the country have demanded her resignation.

“It would be cause for dismissal… because the president should have asked permission from Congress,” lawmaker Juan Burgos, who heads the oversight commission, told reporters. Vice President of Congress Patricia Juarez sought to quell the dispute, calling it “a storm in a glass of water.”

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This is not the first time that Boluarte has been embroiled in controversy. Earlier, she was accused of being involved in a corruption scandal.  

Since the time that Peru’s first female president took office, she has regularly been seen wearing luxury Rolex watches. Police found luxury items during a raid on her private residence and the presidential palace.

During the raid, prosecutors found documents connecting Boluarte to a Datejust 36, which starts at $15,000 (Rs 12.50 lakh) in Peru.

She later acknowledged owning at least one Rolex watch.

Boluarte was also accused of being responsible for the deaths of more than 50 protesters during a crackdown on demonstrations demanding she resign and call fresh elections in 2022.

Boluarte does not have her own party in Congress and has a disapproval rating of nearly 95 per cent.

Her term ends in July 2026.

With inputs from AFP