Pedro Castillo: the Government in another dilemma for a new cabinet

“The issue is who should be called from the center, because with the caviar they have already failed,” a source from the Palace told La República regarding recent reports about a cabinet change. “They are tuning in with some political figures,” he added, affirming that the new head of the PCM will not come from progressive leftist cadres, but neither from the cerronista wing.

Two weeks ago, sources from the Executive assured that the president of the Council of Ministers, Aníbal Torres, was going to resign. At a press conference he denied that version, but it was a strategic response. The former Minister of Justice is aware that President Pedro Castillo is looking for a replacement for him. “Torres does know and last week he asked for his resignation, but the president did not accept it,” added another source.

In principle, there was the transcendence that the favorites for the PCM were the ministers Alejandro Salas, of Culture; Betssy Chávez, from Labor, or Felix Chero, from Justice.

However, recent events have not favored any of them: the collapse of Kuelap left Salas in a bad position, who is a usual squire of Castillo; the workers’ strike at the Jorge Chavez Airport, known by the Ministry of Labor prior to Easter, damaged Chavez’s image, to the point that the opposition calls for him to be questioned; and with Chero, the role he played in the April 5 curfew by justifying the decree that ordered it was left in question.

That is why the Government continues in the search for a chief of staff. Although the source consulted assures that the president is looking for someone from the center, in the end, taking Castillo’s behavior as a reference, the outcome is not certain.

Cardinal Pedro Barreto said last Thursday that the president’s new team will not depend on Peru Libre. This raised the spirits of Vladimir Cerrón, who attacked Barreto from Twitter. “If the priest has not found out, there is a party that won the elections”, refuted the PL secretary.

Discontent. Peru Libre did not take well the declarations of Cardinal Pedro Barreto.

Official congressmen Alex Flores, Francis Paredes and Alex Paredes joined Cerrón’s chorus, defending Peru Libre’s quota in the government and, furthermore, rejecting Barreto’s statements. Edgar Tello, on the other hand, from the teaching bloc, considers that the Council of Ministers should be restructured.

In this discord, the next session of the National Agreement appears. The president also assured Max Hernández, secretary of this forum, that he will change his ministers. This space for dialogue would be a space to bring the Government closer to the other political forces.

The main point on the agenda of the National Agreement will be to find consensus to resolve this crisis, which involves the Executive and Congress. Barreto says that there will be a change of course in the Government.

In the opposition, however, they do not believe that such a turn is possible. José Williams Zapata, spokesman for Avanza País, does not believe that Castillo will have a broad-based cabinet. “And that those ministers in turn appoint the right people,” he said.

For Jorge Montoya, from Renovación Popular, meanwhile, the presence of Torres only generates division. “His days are numbered,” he insisted.

Session. The forum of the National Agreement will be after the week of congressional representation. It doesn’t happen this month.

Contradictions between the ministers

On April 7, the Minister of Tourism and Foreign Trade, Roberto Sánchez, assured that President Pedro Castillo will indeed make changes in the cabinet.

On April 12, Vice President Dina Boluarte said that all ministers are constantly being evaluated, but denied that the president had spoken to her about adjustments in the cabinet.

On April 14, the Minister of the Environment, Modesto Montoya, affirmed that possible changes of ministers were not discussed in the Council of Ministers.

On April 17, the Minister of Justice, Félix Chero, rejected the declarations of the presidential adviser Daniel Salaverry, who said that the president would make changes in the cabinet. Chero described Salaverry’s opinion as isolated from reality. “The issue is who from the center should be called,” said the source about the announced cabinet change.

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