Peru: Former Prime Minister Guido Bellido was little known before taking office, but his rude style annoyed Congress. (John Minchillo / Poole / Reuters)
the president Peru, Pedro Castillosworn in by Mirta Vasquez, a former left-wing leader in Congress, as prime minister on Wednesday in place of his predecessor, who stepped down after two months in office as his government was threatened political instability…
The move keeps Castillo, a member of the Marxist-Leninist Peru Livre party, on the left of the political spectrum, but softens the cabinet as a whole. He left the center-left Minister of Economy, Pedro Franque, and appointed Eduardo Gonzalez Toro as the new Minister of Mines and Energy.
The mining industry is the most important sector in Peru, second only to neighboring Chile in copper production. Castillo said he wants to increase tax collection in this sector to fund social programs.
Former prime minister Guido Bellido was little known before taking office, but his rude style irritated the opposition majority in Congress and investors worried about left-wing government.
Vasquez served as head of Congress from 2020 to 2021. She is a lawyer and defended Maxim Akunya, a peasant farmer, in the acclaimed headline case against Newmont Mining Corp.’s Yanacocha gold mine.
After announcing his resignation, Bellido tweeted that he would react and posted a photo of the fight from the movie Gladiator, hinting at Castillo’s future opposition.
Like Castillo, Bellido is a member of Free Peru but is considered a left-wing extremist compared to the more pragmatic Castillo.
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