Rights groups expressed concern on Thursday (February 19, 2026) at the choice of 83-year-old Jose Maria Balcazar as Peru’s stand-in President given past utterances on girls and under-aged sex. Mr. Balcazar was on Wednesday (February 18, 2026) named Peru’s interim leader, for a period of just over five months until the next election, after predecessor Jose Jeri was impeached on graft allegations. He became the South American country’s eighth President in a decade. But Mr. Balcazar’s nomination has angered rights and women’s groups. “Anyone who minimizes violence against women and girls is not voicing an isolated opinion, but revealing a complacent attitude toward abuse,” the center said in a statement.

Source: The Hindu February 20, 2026 01:22 UTC