In just over a year in power, Peruvian President Pedro Castillo will have to name his fifth prime minister in the coming days. The most recent, Aníbal Torres, resigned this Wednesday (3) “for personal reasons”.
It is tradition in the country that the other ministers also make their positions available when the prime minister resigns. The prime minister is responsible for coordinating cabinet members and managing the executive’s relations with the other branches of government. With that, Castillo, a conservative leftist, will need to nominate heads of all government portfolios.
“I take this opportunity to thank you for the trust placed in me, first as Minister of Justice and later as Prime Minister,” Torres wrote in a letter posted on Twitter. He took office in February and was the longest-serving prime minister since Castillo’s election – a sign of the country’s political crisis.
According to the Peruvian press, Torres should be replaced by the Minister of Culture, Alejandro Salas, or by the deputy and former Minister of Labor, Betssy Chávez. Until the publication of this text, the president had not commented on the resignation.
Torres, 79, has followed Castillo since his candidacy for the presidency and was named Minister of Justice in the government’s first cabinet, a position he held until February. He was seen by the Peruvian press as one of the president’s most loyal politicians.
But loyalty was of little use in this case. According to the Peruvian newspaper El Comercio, the president was considering, as early as last week, changing the head of at least six ministries, including the post of prime minister. The intention, according to the vehicle, was to “renovate” the cabinet. According to a survey by Ipsos Peru, carried out in July and also highlighted by El Comercio, 66% of Peruvians favored replacing the prime minister.
The new exchange happens when Castillo is investigated for five crimes. Among the crimes investigated by the Public Ministry are alleged corruption schemes in public works and influence peddling in a fuel purchase contract. Polls show that it is disapproved by 74% of voters.
In the midst of political attrition, the Peruvian president is also being investigated for plagiarism in his master’s thesis. “One year and my rivals, until now, have not been able to find any proof. I am here for the will of the people, the time has come for the regions to be heard”, he defended recently.
Peruvian presidents can be investigated while in office, but legislation prevents them from being indicted.
In last year’s elections, Castillo had a vote of rejection by Peruvians to traditional politicians. The country has been in a political crisis for years. In the last four years, only one sworn president has managed to finish his term without resigning or being impeached.
Unlike his predecessors, Castillo seems to be protected from the vacancy processes due to the fact that Congress is fragmented and has not managed, so far, to gather the 87 votes (out of 130 deputies) necessary to take him out of the game – although there is no lack of attempts.
In one year of power, the Peruvian leader changed parties after being accused by his former supporters of not having put into practice the party’s program or having fulfilled his electoral promises. The acronym even came to declare opposition to the government.
