After leaving the post of Minister of Economy and Finance after six months, Peter Francke He made an evaluation of the government of Pedro Castillo and assured that he does not have a “strategic course” to direct the country.
In an interview with BBC Mundo, the former head of the MEF mentioned that “a clearer vision of what are the main reforms and the battles to be fought is needed”.
“There is a lack of clarity, sharpness, strategic direction, of knowing what the big issues are and also what can be achieved. The political and social situation is complex, and one has to choose the battles“, Held.
He added that in his management he had few meetings with the president and that he would have liked to have “more access when looking for it to discuss big economic decisions”.
“A little, yes. In the sense of asking for a meeting, insisting, asking the general secretary, the secretary, the chief of staff, advisers… I would arrive at three in the afternoon and find that the president was no longer there… Sometimes I waited until six and only had ten minutes to talk to him”, he specified.
Difficulty with economic issues
Likewise, the former minister made it clear on BBC Mundo that Castillo has shortcomings in knowing economic issues in depth.
“On the one hand, he has some confidence, but at least on the economic issue he has a certain difficulty in knowing the issues in greater depth, in being able to have a deeper discussion on economic issues. He has a certain deficit, so to speak economically.”, he referred.
He added that this difficulty could be attributed to living in an isolated area, in which he lacked internet and other services.
“Well, it is what one can expect from a rural teacher who has lived in a small town. The economy has its arcana, its difficult terms, its discussion that sometimes has theoretical aspects that are not so easy for everyone and require some training, some attention.”, he asserted.
No solid cabinet
Regarding the new Ministerial Cabinet, led by Aníbal Torres, the former Minister of Economy stated that “It has its dark sides, but I prefer not to say much about it”.
However, Francke stated that in the more than six months of Pedro Castillo’s presidency, one of his weaknesses is the formation of a resistant cabinet.
“He has had a lot of difficulty in having a solid cabinet that he has a lot of confidence in and strongly supports.”, he narrowed down.
He also expressed that there is a group of advisers to the president that has acquired a lot of prominence in recent times and that it seems that they are more important than the cabinet in his decision making.
“So, big political events such as the interviews he gave last week, the cabinet changes or the deal with Congress seem to be discussed more with his advisers than with his ministers. And that doesn’t seem right to me”, he pointed out.
