Peru’s new government has 19 ministers, eight of whom are women. Pedro Angulo, a former prosecutor specializing in the fight against corruption, was appointed Prime Minister.
Peru’s new president, Dina Bolluarte, announced on Saturday the composition of her government amid protests by supporters of her predecessor, who are calling for the release of Pedro Castillo and the announcement of early elections.
Peru’s new government has 19 ministers, eight of whom are women. Pedro Angulo, a former prosecutor specializing in the fight against corruption, was appointed Prime Minister. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is taken over by Ana Cecilia Hervasi, while the former Deputy Minister of Finance Alex Contreras was appointed to the Ministry of Economy. Chemical engineer Oscar Vera has been named minister of energy and mines, a key post for the copper-rich Andean country.
“I have worked hard to form a cabinet that will respond to the needs of the country,” President Bolluarte said in a televised address, again appealing for calm and restraint.
Earlier, the president of the Congress, Jose Williams, had called on the president Boluarte to speed up the process of forming a government in order to contribute to the restoration of calm and confidence of the citizens.
Reports of protests and road blockades are coming from various parts of the country, including mountainous regions of the Andes where Pedro Castillo — a former rural school teacher — enjoys the most support. The protesters are calling for the dissolution of Congress and the calling of early elections, refusing to allow Bolluarte to complete the term of her democratically elected predecessor (until 2026) and calling for a new Constitution.
Dina Boluarte, 60, who was Castillo’s vice president, replaced him after he was ousted by Congress. On Friday, she said she was willing to discuss early elections with the country’s political forces, but ruled out constitutional amendments at this stage.
Pedro Castillo is being held in a prison in the capital Lima where another former president, Alberto Fujimori (1990-2000), is serving a 25-year sentence for crimes against humanity and corruption.
He was arrested after trying to dissolve Congress just hours before the vote that led to his ouster. Castillo’s former chief of staff and lawyer argued that the former president of Peru delivered the televised speech in question while under the influence of drugs.
Mexican authorities announced Thursday that they have begun talks with the Peruvian government regarding Castillo’s request to the Mexican embassy for political asylum. On Friday afternoon, the Peruvian Foreign Ministry summoned the Mexican ambassador to protest this “interference in Peru’s internal affairs.”
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