Peru's interim leader José Jerí embraces the spotlight in 'war' on crime

Some see him as a new Nayib Bukele, but he avoids the comparisons. Relentless, he appears at night during prison raids or the arrest of criminals. He is José Jerí, the media-savvy millennial president of Peru who declared war on crime.

Aged 39 and very active on social media, Jerí served as president of Congress. On October 10, he assumed interim power, replacing Dina Boluarte, who was impeached amid massive protests over an unprecedented wave of extortion and contract killings across the country.

Boluarte’s government was widely viewed as inactive against rising crime, sparking anger among Generation Z, a group of young people between 18 and 30 years old who spearheaded the protests.

"What we are doing right now is, first, fighting crime, which wasn't done before, by addressing the issue directly. We are out on the streets, in the countryside," says Jerí.

The conservative politician is Peru's seventh president since 2016, taking office amid an ongoing crisis that has deepened public mistrust in institutions.

Bukele style?

Jerí will remain in office until July 2026. A newly elected president, chosen in elections scheduled for April, in which he cannot run, will then take office.

His term will be short, but Jerí aims to make the most of it. Since day one, he has led high-profile operations in Lima’s prisons, always wearing his signature rolled-up white shirt and cap.

In prisons, he limited visits to the most dangerous inmates and enforced an "electrical blackout" to prevent cell phone use.

One early morning, he oversaw the transfer of inmates dressed in white uniforms, crouching and shackled on their hands and feet, an image many associated with Nayib Bukele's approach.

The Salvadoran president declared "war" on gangs in 2022 under a state of emergency that allows arrests without a warrant. Although he reduced homicides to historic lows, human rights groups report that thousands of innocent people are behind bars.

José Jerí also declared a state of emergency in Lima and its neighbouring port city of Callao, authorising the allowing the military to patrol the streets and make arrests without a warrant. Similar measures had already been implemented under Boluarte's government.

When asked about the comparisons between him and his Salvadoran counterpart, he told the press, "I consider myself José Jerí, everyone has their own personality and style,"

Since September, one of the protester’s demands has been for stricter anti-crime policies.

"Populist measures"

According to Valdés, director of the NGO Capital Humano y Social Alternativo, only a small amount of extortion in Peru is carried out from inside prisons and just three percent of inmates have been convicted of extortion or contract killing.

For now, Jerí has been received broad public support. According to Ipsos, 45 percent approve of his performance, while 42 percent disapprove. In contrast, Boluarte left office with only a three percent approval rating and was considered the most unpopular president in the world.

The interim president has been careful not to release details about his plans to fight crime, focusing instead on projecting a strong image.

"What I've seen are purely populist measures... They're not effective because extortion and killings continue," says José Rodríguez, a 20-year-old engineering student and member of Generation Z.

Despite the state of emergency declared by Jerí, which limits the right to assembly, young people and transport workers have announced new protests against insecurity.

The most recent major demonstration was on October 15, before the interim government took power. During the protest, one protester was killed and about a hundred were injured, dozens of them police officers.