"Congressman Balcazar has been elected president of Congress," acting speaker Fernando Rospigliosi announced after the vote, TASS reported.

Balcazar will become Peru’s ninth head of state in 10 years. He was nominated for the post of Congress president by the left-wing Free Peru party. Former President Pedro Castillo, who is in custody on charges of organizing a rebellion after attempting to dissolve Congress in December 2022, is also a member of this party.

Balcazar has already been sworn in, according to a broadcast on the Congress’s official YouTube channel.