When we talk about political scandals, we usually imagine corruption, electoral fraud or geopolitical tensions. But in Peru, it is a story of rhinoplasty that threatens to topple a president.
Dina Boluarte, the first woman to lead the country, finds herself in the hot seat after the revelation of her secret nose job. This affair, which might seem innocuous, has taken on considerable proportions in the country, to the point of threatening the stability of the Peruvian government. On December 5, , former Prime Minister Alberto Otarola dropped a real media bombshell: the president had reportedly left office for a few days to undergo cosmetic surgery, without informing the leadership.
This revelation. The prosecutor's office quickly took matters into its own hands, opening an investigation for "abandonment of post. Dina Boluarte's omission, which she justifies as a "personal decision motivated by health reasons," is therefore not going down well with parliamentarians. Faced with these accusations, Dina Boluarte's lawyer, Juan Carlos Portugal, vigorously defended his client.
He claims that there was. According to him, the intervention was minor, lasting only 40 minutes, and in no way affected the president's lucidity or ability to work. In a message to the nation on December 13, , Dina Boluarte tried to defuse the controversy by insisting on the medical nature of the intervention. It was not a cosmetic intervention, but a necessary and essential intervention for my health". This case could have remained a light anecdote in an often gloomy political daily life.
But in Peru it is taking a much more serious turn. The country has been going through a period of political instability for several years with a succession of presidents and institutional crises. The idea that a president could "disappear" for surgery, even a discreet one, is seen as a betrayal by some. Voices are therefore being raised within the opposition to demand her dismissal.
