Overview
- President José María Balcázar, in a televised address Wednesday, reaffirmed that the $3.5 billion F‑16 purchase will be postponed for the next government and framed the pause as a fiscal choice, without clarifying the contracts’ legal status.
- Foreign Minister Hugo de Zela and Defense Minister Carlos Díaz resigned Wednesday, with De Zela saying two contracts were signed Monday and that a first payment was due Wednesday, while Díaz said the president had already signed a confidential Supreme Decree authorizing the buy.
- Congressional pressure mounted as Ilich López moved to censure the president and Jorge Montoya said a vacancia was possible, while Speaker Fernando Rospigliosi warned of legal and geopolitical fallout if signed commitments and approved credits are ignored.
- The U.S. ambassador met Peru’s prime minister Monday, according to the official agenda, and the Armed Forces and retired Air Force officers criticized the postponement, warning of international consequences and degraded combat readiness.
- The plan calls for 24 F‑16 Block 70 jets from Lockheed Martin after a competition that also drew Dassault and Saab, yet the immediate status of payments and contracts is disputed, and hearings and potential censure votes now loom.