The president of Peru, Pedro Castillo, announced this Tuesday (1st) his new government team, in the formation of what will be the third cabinet in just over six months of term. The exchange had to be made because of the resignation of the then Prime Minister Mirtha Vázquez, this Monday (31).
Peruvian legislation stipulates that, in the event of the resignation of the prime minister, when appointing another incumbent to the post, the president must appoint an entire new cabinet — although he can retain some positions if he wishes. All pass the vote of confidence in Congress within a month of being nominated.
Two changes promoted by Castillo stood out among the others —in the Interior and Economy portfolios—, not to mention the appointment of deputy Héctor Valer to replace Mirtha Vázquez. Both are considered moderate-profile leftists, but the new prime minister is part of a parliamentary bloc whose main agenda is to redesign the Constitution.
The move, then, may indicate that Castillo is considering resuming the electoral promise of proposing a new Charter, a long-standing objective of the Peruvian left that is rejected by investors. In his first statements, Valer reaffirmed the position, speaking of “preparing a constituent moment in four years”.
The new prime minister of a leftist government, it is worth remembering, is now crowning a peculiar trajectory, after being elected deputy last year by an ultra-right party. He broke with his party for disagreeing with a movement to question the outcome of the election won by Castillo.
The market was also waiting with some apprehension for the appointment of Pedro Francke’s replacement in the Economy. With a more moderate profile, the now ex-minister did not please the most left-wing wings of the president’s party, Perú Libre, but he had the confidence of the sector and had been responsible for the relative economic stability of the country.
Francke announced on Twitter, shortly before the confirmation of the new ministers, that he would leave the government. He said that “the numbers support” his work, highlighting the country’s recovery amid the health crisis, a proposal for tax reform and the beginning of the process of joining the OECD. “I hope that the new administration will continue with the reforms it has started and work committed to strengthening the fight against corruption,” he wrote.
His replacement, announced by Castillo, has extensive experience in the public service. Oscar Graham accumulates stints in the Economy portfolio between 2011 and 2016 and worked at the Central Bank for more than a decade.
Another important change took place in the Ministry of the Interior, in which Alfonso Chávarry was appointed to the post that belonged to Avelino Guillén. The new incumbent — the fourth in the six months of government — is already shrouded in suspicion because he was chief of police in the Cajamarca region. The resigning Vázquez, for example, was opposed to the appointment of someone from the security forces in the portfolio that takes care of the National Police.
The former prime minister called the situation in the interior chaotic. It was a crisis in that body, in fact, that spilled over to the rest of the government — even though Castillo tried to throw it off, saying this Monday that “the cabinet is constantly being evaluated” and that this would be the reason why he would have decided to renew it.
Guillén resigned on the 28th after clashing with the commander-in-chief of the National Police, Javier Gallardo, opposing a series of changes in officers, with some promoted and others transferred to the reserve.
Vázquez entered the circuit and had been trying to dissuade Guillén from the idea of resignation, until he capitulated, announcing on social media: “Despite the efforts made, at this point my role was exhausted”. In a document delivered to Castillo, she also defined the moment the government is in as critical.
Other exchanges promoted by the president took place in the Defense portfolios (Navy reserve soldier José Luis Gavidia Arrascue will replace Juan Carrasco), Foreign Affairs (César Landa, in place of Óscar Maurtua) and Mines and Energy (Alessandra Herrera assumes the post of Eduardo González Toro). Of the 19 members of the ministry, 10 were changed. The new cabinet will have four ministers, against five in the previous configuration.
Since taking office on July 28, after defeating Keiko Fujimori by a small margin in the second round, the leftist leader has already faced calls for an impeachment of the election, the resignation of the head of the Armed Forces shortly before taking office, an impeachment process. which ended up being rejected in Congress and occasional dismissals of assistants – for controversial statements, denunciations of irregularities and for holding a party amid restrictions imposed by the government to contain the pandemic.
This is without counting the formation of two cabinets, which took place amid friction with his own party, Perú Libre; leaders more to the left of the party criticized the indication of names they called “caviares”, more moderate. Vásquez had been named prime minister after the departure of Guido Bellido, who is responding to corruption and terrorism prosecutions, for comments praising the Shining Path — a guerrilla that, in conflict with the state, caused the death of more than 70,000 Peruvians. .
In previous appointments, Castillo has been tested by fire in Congress. In the first one, two sessions and more than 18 hours were needed to grant the vote of confidence; in the second, there were ten hours of debate, marked by the death of a deputy, who had felt ill hours before.
Source: Folha
