Another Cabinet Reorganization: No End in Sight for Peru’s Permanent Political Crisis

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – President Martín Vizcarra has once again reorganized his cabinet. This time the reason is a further aftermath of the Odebrecht corruption scandal.

Last week Energy Minister Juan Carlos Liu (on Monday) and Justice Minister Ana Teresa Revilla (on Thursday) resigned after allegations were confirmed that the two had maintained relations with the scandal-ridden Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht.

Later on Thursday, two other ministers resigned: Transport Minister Edmer Trujillo was ruined by charges dating back to his time as a local politician in the province of Moquegua. Education Minister Flor Pablo also resigned from her post.

The reason for this is still unclear. Observers suspect a strategic decision by the President. The Justice Minister had been repeatedly attacked by the conservative opposition for her commitment to gender equality in the school curriculum.

Now that a new Congress has been elected, the President needs new alliances, whereby he may in return pull back on his hitherto progressive social policy.

Four new ministers were appointed on Friday: Carlos Eduardo Lozada will be in charge of Transport and Communications, Susana Vilca of Energy and Mines, Carlos Benavides of Education and Fernando Castañeda of Justice and Human Rights.

Since Vizcarra took office in March 2018, there have now been four different cabinets. The changes in the Ministry of Culture have produced seven different incumbents.

On average, one minister resigns every 22 days. This extreme instability within the government is – in addition to the absence of a genuine party system – symptomatic of the frailty of Peru’s political system.

The announcement of the Odebrecht scandal in 2017 was the final blow to the already fragile democracy. In the 2000s, the Brazilian company had built up a corruption network throughout Latin America. Investigations are underway in Peru against numerous leading politicians, including three ex-presidents and two ex-mayors of the the country’s capital Lima.

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