President Pedro Castillo appoints hard-liner as Peru’s prime minister

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The Peru Libre congressman Guido Bellido has been chosen by Pedro Castillo to lead his government as prime minister after the president swore him in at a ceremony in the Pampa de La Quinua, site of the Battle of Ayacucho, which sealed the Peruvian independence.

On his first day as President of Peru, Castillo presented Bellido as President of the Council of Ministers, thus putting an end to the mystery of who will lead his cabinet and manage the dialogue between the Executive and a Congress dominated by the opposition.

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Bellido, 41 years old, was elected congressman for Cusco last April 11. Still, his name went unnoticed, and he was not among the most talked-about to occupy the position of cabinet chief.

A native of the Cusco province of Chumbivilcas, one of the provinces most affected by mining social conflicts, the new prime minister has held leadership positions within the Peru Libre party, including the legal representative and regional secretary of Cusco.

“For the more than 30 million brothers, for the fight against corruption, for work for our Peruvian people, yes I swear,” Bellido declared during his swearing-in.

CONTROVERSIAL FIGURE

The choice of Bellido is controversial because he is one of the men closest to Vladimir Cerrón, founder of the Peru Libre party, who declares himself a Marxist and who has been convicted for corruption.

Having a more radical profile than Castillo, Bellido was one of the members of Peru Libre who, like Cerron, most questioned the positions of the moderate leftist Veronika Mendoza in her support to the government of the rural teacher.

Also, during the electoral campaign, the legislator declared in an interview that he was opposed to criticizing members of the terrorist group Sendero Luminoso. As a result, the Public Prosecutor’s Office opened an investigation against him for the alleged crime of apology to terrorism.

UNKNOWNS PERSIST

Castillo, the 51-year-old rural teacher and union leader, was sworn in before Congress as president of Peru for the period 2021-2026, after winning by the slimmest of margins over right-wing rival Keiko Fujimori, in the second round of the presidential election on June 6.

During his first speech as head of State, Castillo kept to himself the mystery about the composition of his Government and did not reveal the names of the ministers, deciding to postpone the swearing-in of the cabinet until Friday, when he is expected to put an end to all speculations.

So far, among the most rumored to integrate his ministerial team are the economist Pedro Francke for the Economy and Finance portfolio and the physician Hernando Cevallos for Health.

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