Lawmaker Francisco Sagasti was sworn in as Peru’s interim president on Tuesday – the country’s third sitting president in a week.

The vote caps off weeks of street demonstrations against Congress’ removal of president Martin Vizcarra earlier in November. Sagasti now must lead the country until general elections next year, a contest that could be critical in deciding the future of Peru’s volatile political system.

 

Background

A brief recap of Peru’s recent political struggles:

2016: Pedro Pablo Kuczynski of the (now defunct) Peruvians for Change party edges out Keiko Fujimori by the narrowest of margins to win presidential elections. Kuczynski’s running mate, Martin Vizcarra, becomes vice president.

2018: Kuczynski resigns the presidency following Congress-initiated impeachment proceedings. He had survived another impeachment process in 2017, but opted to resign after videos emerged of his allies attempting to buy Congressional votes in support of the president.