PERU
The president of Peru, Pedro Castillo, swore in the new ministerial cabinet, headed by Mirtha Vásquez to replace Guido Bellido. He also appointed Gisela Ortíz as the new Minister of Culture, replacing Ciro Gálvez. Meanwhile, Peru Libre congresswoman Betsy Chávez was appointed as Minister of Labor, replacing Iber Maraví. Likewise, Castillo ratified Pedro Francke as Minister of Economy and Finance and Juan Francisco Silva as Minister of Transport and Communications. The new officials are already in office.
Below you will find more information on the newly appointed and ratified ministers:
- President of the Council of Ministers, Mirtha Vásquez
Vásquez is a lawyer and holds a Master’s degree in Social Management from the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru. The new Prime Minister was the last President of Congress during the government of Francisco Sagasti (2020-2021). The new government leader is a woman known for her environmental activism and her defence of women’s rights. During the ceremony, Vázquez swore for ” this country of women and men who struggle every day to live with dignity, without discrimination”.
- Ministry of Culture, Gisela Ortíz
She holds a degree in Business Administration from the National University of Education Enrique Guzmán y Valle. According to the Latin American Centre for Social Work, she holds degrees in Municipal Management (University Cesar Vallejo), Small Business Management (ESAN) and Corporate Responsibility (University of the Pacific). Since 2009, the new minister has been the Director of Operations of the Peruvian Forensic Anthropology Team.
- Ministry of Labor, Betssy Chávez
The new minister is a lawyer from the National University Jorge Basadre Grohmann of Tacna and holds a Master’s degree in Constitutional Law from the University José Carlos Mariátegui. She is also a congresswoman for the Peru Libre political party, representing the Tacna region. Previously she served as a lawyer in the Regional Government of Tacna (2020) and technical assistant in Congress (2017-2020). Chávez is the only member of the Peru Libre bench in the new ministerial cabinet.
- Ministry of Economy and Finance, Pedro Francke
The Minister ratified in his office, is an economist, researcher and consultant expert in poverty, health and social policies. He was general manager of Essalud between August 2011 and April 2012, during the government of Ollanta Humala. At the international level, the economist has consulted for different organizations such as the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the International Labor Organization (ILO).
- Minister of Transportation and Communications, Juan Francisco Silva Villegas.
The Minister ratified in his office, holds a bachelor’s degree in education from Universidad Nacional Federico Villarreal and a second major in School Management with Pedagogical Leadership from Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia. Until this appointment, the minister was the director of an educational institution in the district of Puente Piedra in Lima
- Minister of Foreign Trade and Tourism, Roberto Sánchez Palomino.
The Minister ratified in his office, is a psychologist from Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos and has a master’s degree from that university. He is president of the political party Juntos por el Perú, a movement that Pedro Castillo allied with for the second round of the elections. Sanchez was elected congressman last April for the 2021-2026 term.