Peru President Castillo set to reshuffle Cabinet again after PM resignation

Leftist Peruvian President
Pedro Castillo has accepted the resignation of his prime
minister and will reshuffle his Cabinet once again, amid a lengthy battle between the executive and
legislative branches. 

“Having accepted the resignation of the prime minister, whom I thank for his work on behalf of the country, I will renew the Cabinet,” Castillo said in a national television broadcast on Friday.

Former Prime Minister Anibal Torres, a staunch ally of
Castillo, had challenged the opposition-controlled Congress to a
confidence vote last week. But Congress declined to hold such a
vote on Thursday, saying conditions for it had not been met.

The confidence vote challenge was meant to pressure Congress
amid tense relations between the two branches of government.

Opposition lawmakers have twice impeached Castillo but
failed to oust him, although they have managed to censure and
fire several Cabinet members.

READ MORE: Thousands march in Peru to demand President Castillo resign

Controversial confidence votes

Confidence votes are controversial in Peru as they can come with significant consequences.

If Congress had issued a vote of no confidence, Torres and the entire Cabinet would have been forced to resign.

But a new Cabinet could then call for a second confidence vote which, if also denied, would allow the executive to shut down Congress and call new legislative elections.

Last week, Torres said he would interpret a lack of a vote as the equivalent of a no-confidence vote.

Castillo stopped short of saying Congress had issued a vote of no confidence, although at least one close ally, former commerce minister Roberto Sanchez, said the legislature’s decision meant confidence had been withheld.

In 2019, then-Peruvian President Martin Vizcarra shut down Congress and called for new elections after two no-confidence votes.

Congress then passed a law limiting the situations that merit confidence votes, which is now being tested for the first time.

The tension between the different branches of Peru’s government is common, and Peruvians have lived under five different presidents since 2016.

READ MORE: Fourth Peru PM resigns in year as probes target President Castillo

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