Peru’s interior minister resigns after accusation of hosting house party despite pandemic restrictions

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Peruvian Interior Minister Luis Barranzuela has resigned after being heavily criticized for allegedly hosting a party at his home on Sunday, Oct. 31, and failing to heed health restrictions in light of the coronavirus pandemic.

Through his Twitter account, Barranzuela stated, “I have made the democratic decision to resign from my position as Interior Minister, rejecting the false accusations against my professional career, and out of respect for the government and the trust of the President of the Republic.”

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President Pedro Castillo, made Barranzuela’s resignation official through his Twitter account.

“I announce that I have received and accepted the resignation of Interior Minister Luis Barranzuela. In the next few hours, I will swear in his successor. Our commitment remains to ensure the country’s ability to govern,” he wrote.

The president of the Council of Ministers, Mirtha Vásquez, stated in the same social network, “Important decision of our president Pedro Castillo. Stability, consensus, and social peace in our country are our commitment.”

The previous day, Vásquez had asked Barranzuela for explanations for the meeting at her home, which was also attended by Peru Libre congressman Guillermo Bermejo. In her social networks, Vásquez had called the event “unacceptable.”

The resignation of the Interior Minister comes two days before the debate in Congress to vote on whether or not to give confidence to Vásquez’s cabinet, as reported by El Comercio.

There have been strong reactions against Barranzuela from various political sectors, and several parliamentarians had indicated that they would not express confidence in him if he remained in office.

Despite his resignation, which came mainly due to political pressure, the former interior minister denied that he had organized a party at his home. He argued that it was only a working meeting. “I categorically reject this allegation (that there was a party), we had a working meeting, Peru can not stop, we will continue today,” he assured the press.