A nose job by Peruvian President Dina Boluarte sparked intense controversy on Tuesday, with some lawmakers calling for her to be removed from office for not delegating her responsibilities during the procedure.
The procedure that Boluarte, 62, underwent in the summer of 2023 has been discussed at length on social media and in the local press, but was only officially confirmed Tuesday, when Boluarte's former prime minister Alberto Otarola revealed it to a congressional commission.
"She told me she was going to get a rhinoplasty... a surgery on the nose, but for breathing problems," Otarola told lawmakers conducting an inquiry into the matter.
The congressional oversight commission is probing Boluarte's whereabouts between June 28 and July 10, 2023, when she completely disappeared from public view.
This is when, local media reports say, Boluarte had the surgery at a clinic in Lima without informing the public or delegating her powers to Congress.
Otarola said that during her recovery period, Boluarte carried out her duties virtually.
"There was no absence of power at that time, because the surgical procedure had no major complications," added Otarola, who was dismissed by Boluarte in March.
Some lawmakers and legal experts now charge that Boluarte's behavior constitutes a constitutional violation and are calling for her removal.
"It would be cause for dismissal... because the president should have asked permission from Congress," lawmaker Juan Burgos, who heads the oversight commission, told reporters.
Vice President of Congress Patricia Juarez sought to quell the dispute, calling it "a storm in a glass of water."
Boluarte has been embroiled in controversy for many months. Prosecutors accuse her of accepting bribes in the form of Rolex watches.
She is also accused of responsibility for the deaths of more than 50 protesters during a crackdown on demonstrations demanding she resign and call fresh elections in 2022.
Boluarte does not have her own party in Congress and has a disapproval rating of nearly 95 percent. Her term ends in July 2026.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
