Development: Peru’s new president, Martín Vizcarra, swore-in his new cabinet on 2 April, making major changes right across government.
Significance: Vizcarra, previously the first vice president, assumed the presidency on 23 March following the resignation of Pedro Pablo Kuczynski over allegations of corruption and vote-buying. Since then Vizcarra has sought to distance himself from Kuczynski in light of significant popular discontent with the incumbent administration, and he has promised to fight corruption in Peru. Vizcarra’s cabinet is meant to emphasise his credentials by bringing in a totally new group of ministers.
- César Villanueva, a national legislator of the opposition Alianza para el Progreso (APP) party who played a key role in promoting the second attempt to impeach Kuczynski in congress, will now play a major role in government following his appointment as prime minister.
- The new economy & finance minister will be David Tuesta, a former BBVA economist and director of Corporación Andina de Fomento-Banco de Desarrollo de América Latina (CAF), the regional development bank. Roger Valencia will take charge of the foreign trade portfolio; while Francisco Ísmodes will be responsible for the mining & energy portfolio, a sector that has been of great importance to Peru’s economy in recent years.
- The new minister for foreign affairs, Néstor Popolizio, will immediately direct his attentions towards the Summit of the Americas that will be hosted by Peru from 13 April, when leaders from across the Americas will come to Lima to discuss an agenda for the hemisphere – the central theme of this year’s summit will be ‘Democratic Governance against Corruption’, a highly relevant issue for Vizcarra’s new administration.
- Retired generals from the military and national police (PNP), José Huertas and Mauro Medina, have been appointed as defence and interior ministers respectively. Speaking of these appointments, Prime Minister Villanueva emphasised the need to coordinate the fight against crime in Peru and praised the credentials of both men for this task.
- Salvador Heresi, as the new justice & human rights minister, will be at the centre of the investigations into governmental corruption. Heresi was a notable advocate of Kuczynski’s decision to pardon the disgraced former president, Alberto Fujimori (1990-2000), in December 2017, and he will face the upcoming verdict of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights on whether this decision was legitimate.
Looking Ahead: Vizcarra faces a significant challenge to restore the Peruvian people’s faith in their government, as street protests against government corruption have continued even after Kuczynski’s resignation, although the immediate pressure has seemingly been alleviated. This cabinet reshuffle has brought significant changes, but most of the incoming ministers are still experienced career politicians, and it remains to be seen whether Vizcarra’s tough rhetoric on corruption will translate into substantive government action.
