Peru’s Congress has voted to remove President Dina Boluarte, among the world’s most unpopular leaders, in a late-night session called hours after political parties from across the spectrum demanded her impeachment, as the nation fights an intensive crime wave.

Politicians voted late on Thursday to debate Boluarte’s removal from office on grounds of “moral incapacity” and summoned her to defend herself before Congress at 11.30pm (04:30 GMT).

She never arrived, and lawmakers had sufficient votes to proceed with a rapid impeachment process shortly after midnight, with 124 voting in favour of removing her.

Boluarte did not have a vice president to replace her, so Congress President Jose Jeri has been sworn in as the country’s new president.

Reporting from Lima, Al Jazeera’s Mariana Sanchez said lawmakers had decided to vote in favour of Boluarte’s removal because she had been “very disrespectful” in not heeding their summons.

Her removal continues a revolving door of leaders in the Andean nation, which has had six presidents since 2018, plunging the country into what Sanchez called “another political crisis” just six months ahead of the next presidential election.

Sanchez noted that the newly installed President Jeri has faced rape accusations.

Deeply disliked

The stunning turn of events came just hours after a shooting at a concert in the capital inflamed anger over crime roiling the South American nation.

Legislators had voted to accept four requests for a vote to remove Boluarte from office over what they said was her government’s inability to stem crime.

Unlike eight previous attempts to remove her, almost all legislative factions expressed support for the latest requests, including right-wing parties that have historically supported her.

Boluarte, 63, is deeply disliked, with approval ratings between 2 percent and 4 percent, following accusations that she has illicitly profited from her office.

She came to power in December 2022 as her predecessor, President Pedro Castillo, under whom she had served as vice president, was ousted and arrested after he attempted to dissolve Congress.

Castillo’s removal was met with months of widespread, deadly protests, particularly in rural and indigenous communities, with Boluarte’s government accused of using excessive force to repress them.