Peru's Interior Minister faces no-confidence vote amid rising violence and murder

Peru’s Congress voted Friday to remove the interior minister from office after deciding that he had failed to handle rising violent crime in the Andean country adequately.

Interior Minister Juan José Santiváñez has 72 hours to resign following the no-confidence vote, which passed with 78 votes in favour, 11 against, and 20 abstentions.  Santiváñez stated that he worked closely with police throughout his 10-month tenure, but will accept the legislators’ decision.

Santiváñez must step down and take responsibility for his “inability to address the wave of citizen insecurity the country is facing,” the Peruvian Congress said on its X account.

Public outcry has risen in response to an upsurge in homicides and other forms of violence, including the murder of Paul Flores, 39, the main singer of cumbia band Armonia 10.  He was fatally shot when gunmen assaulted his band’s tour bus following a show in Lima.

More from World

Bangladesh arrests Myanmar’s Rohingya leader, head of ARSA, under anti-terrorism law 15 body pieces sealed in drum with cement: How Merchant Navy officer was killed by wife, lover in UP

In response to the Flores assassination, President Dina Boluarte proclaimed a state of emergency in the capital on Monday and ordered the deployment of military to assist police in dealing with the rise in violence.  The same day, opposition MPs demanded a vote of no confidence in the interior minister.

Boluarte’s administration had already declared a state of emergency from September to December in an effort to quell the violence.

Authorities reported 2,057 murders in 2024, an increase from 1,506 in 2023.