Peruvian centre-right President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski replaced nearly half of his 19-member Cabinet, after back-to-back crises in his government last month triggered political resignations and protests.
Kuczynski had promised to reveal a “Cabinet of reconciliation” nearly two weeks ago amid an uproar over his Christmas Eve pardon for former authoritarian leader Alberto Fujimori, whose loyalists in Congress saved Kuczynski from an impeachment bid three days prior.
A 79-year-old former Wall Street banker, Kuczynski has struggled to govern alongside a Congress controlled by Fujimori’s sympathisers.
At least 19 ministers have left Kuczynski’s Cabinet since he took office less than two years ago, including four forced from office by Congress.
However, Fujimori’s loyalists have divided the main opposition party and could help Kuczynski govern, possibly offsetting support that Kuczynski has lost from centrists and leftists.
“Despite our differences, I ask you for us to join together to fight the real problems facing our nation: poverty, unequal services and opportunities, the lack of security, corruption,” Kuczynski said in a brief speech after swearing nine ministers into his Cabinet.
Kuczynski promoted Deputy Energy Minister Angela Grossheim to become energy and mines minister and kept Finance Minister Claudia Cooper and Trade Minister Eduardo Ferreyros in their posts.
Cayetana Aljovin, the outgoing energy and mines minister and a former journalist and lawyer, was named the foreign minister, replacing Ricardo Luna, who had helped Peru lead regional efforts to demand democratic reforms in Venezuela.
Only three out of the eight new ministers who were sworn in on Tuesday have political experience.
The rest mostly worked as career civil servants or in the private sector.