Mirtha Vásquez sworn in as Prime Minister of Peru, replacing controversial Guido Bellido

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Mirtha Vásquez, former interim president of the Congress, assumed the Presidency of the Council of Ministers (PCM) after the resignation of former Prime Minister Guido Bellido.

As announced by government sources, Vásquez’s appointment came after it was known that she had gone to the Government Palace the night before to meet with President Pedro Castillo.

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The modifications in the PCM come after the publication of a report by Epicentro, which indicates that Guido Bellido was pushing for the departure of the Chancellor Óscar Maúrtua, in addition to numerous denunciations for sexist and homophobic aggressions produced by the congressman of Perú Libre.

Mirtha Esther Vásquez Chuquilín (born 31 March 1975) is a Peruvian lawyer and politician, who served as the interim President of Congress between November 2020 and July 2021. She has served as a member of Congress since March 2020.

Born in the northern region of Cajamarca, Vásquez earned a law degree from National University of Cajamarca, and subsequently attained a master’s degree in social management at the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru.

Vásquez has been a lecturer at her alma mater, the National University of Cajamarca. She has also served as an attorney and executive secretary for Grufides, a human rights and environment protection think-tank based in Cajamarca.

She also defended the Association for Human Rights (APRODEH), and served as a member of the Board of Directors of the National Coordinator of Human Rights. She was also a columnist for Noticias SER.

Elected to the Peruvian Congress in the 2020 parliamentary election, Vásquez represents the Cajamarca constituency and the Broad Front coalition. Following Manuel Merino’s resignation as President of Peru on 15 November 2020, she was elected First Vice President of Congress, as part of the congressional list led by Francisco Sagasti.

As Sagasti took over the presidency via constitutional succession as President of Congress, Vásquez serves as interim in the position.

NEW CABINET

After the resignation of the former head of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, Guido Bellido, and the announcement of his replacement, the President, Pedro Castillo, announced the formation of the new ministerial cabinet.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Óscar Maúrtua de Romaña
Ministry of Defense – Walter Ayala Gonzales
Ministry of Economy and Finance – Pedro Francke Ballvé
Ministry of the Interior – Luis Roberto Barranzuela Vite
Ministry of Justice – Aníbal Torres Vásquez
Ministry of Education – Carlos Gallardo Gómez
Ministry of Health – Hernando Cevallos Flores
Ministry of Agrarian Development and Irrigation – Víctor Mayta Frisancho
Ministry of Labor – Betssy Chávez Chino
Ministry of Production – Roger Incio Sánchez
Ministry of Foreign Trade – Roberto Sánchez Palomino
Ministry of Energy and Mines – Eduardo González Toro
Ministry of Transportation and Communications – Juan Silva Villegas
Ministry of Housing – Geiner Alvarado López
Ministry of Women’s Affairs – Anahí Durand Guevara
Ministry of Environment – Rubén Ramírez Mateo
Ministry of Culture – Gisela Ortiz Perea
Ministry of Development and Social Inclusion – Dina Ercilia Boluarte Zegarra