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Gideon Long in Bogotá
Six months in office, four prime ministers, three foreign ministers, two finance ministers and one unanswered question: how long can Peru’s leftwing president Pedro Castillo remain in power?
Ever since he was sworn in last July as the most unlikely leader in the country’s history, Castillo — a rural primary school teacher with no previous government experience — has led an administration in constant flux.
He has made 20 ministerial changes — an average of almost one a week. A foreign minister quit after being outed as an apologist for the Maoist guerrilla group Shining Path; an interior minister was axed for hosting a party in breach of coronavirus restrictions; a defence minister quit in a scandal over the promotion of officers in the armed forces; this week, Castillo’s third prime minister resigned after just four days amid allegations he physically assaulted his wife and daughter.
