Only in Peru can 16 ministers get sacked.......

.........and then 10 of them get called back to their posts a week later (well, their "resignations were accepted", but under the circumstances there's little difference). Right now in the Presidential Palace the


swearing in ceremony is under way, and here's the list that now makes up Peru's ministerial cabinet. First, the new faces:

• Interior: Remigio Hernani Meloni (ex-head of the criminal investigations department)

• Energy and Mines: Pedro Sánchez Gamarra (ex Prez of ElectroPeru amongt other posts, definite free market advocate)

• Women and Social Development: Carmen Vildoso Chirinos (ex-Vice minister of promotion and employment in the Toledo gov't)

• Health: Óscar Ugarte Ubillús (ex Vice-minister of health in the Toledo gov't and close ally of Yehude Simon)

• Production: Elena Conterno Martinelli (economist, master degree at Harvard, has been working in various government bodies such as MiVivienda and Foncodes)

• Agriculture: Carlos Leyton Muñoz (actual Vice President of the Arequipa region, sociologist, long background in rural matters, Peruvian old-school landed gentry family background)

Now the faces that have been given their jobs back:

• Exterior Relations (Chancellor): José García Belaunde
• Exterior Commence: Mercedes Aráoz Fernández
• Economy: Luis Valdivieso
• Justice: Rosario Fernández
• Environment: Antonio Brack
• Transport and Communications: Verónica Zavala
• Defence: Ántero Flores Aráoz
• Education: Antonio Chang
• Employment: Jorge Villasante
• Housing: Enrique Cornejo

Or in other words, one week ago a band of untrusted ministers were forced to hand in their resignations and their President was forced by popular demand to accept them. Now he ignores his public yet again and gives 10 of the 16 their jobs back. Of the other six, perhaps three are what can be truly called new faces.

Or in other words to the other words; just another round of Peruvian bullshit politics that will change precisely nothing until Yehude Simon gets some real power (and that's if he lasts that long with so few allies around the table).

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