Peru: Government Palace is a castle with an invisible president

From Peru, Sofia Martinez

He 28 July 2021 sworn in as President of the Republic; the rural school teacher
and union leader, Pedro Castillo Terrones. In an environment rarefied by the questioning of the
transparency of the electoral process that the right had been carrying out, calling even
ignore the official results. He is sworn in with an incomplete and questioned cabinet; then
in Pampa de la Quinua (ayacucho), presents Guido Bellido as Prime Minister. The latter
to strengthen the image of Peru Libre, the party that invited him as a presidential candidate.
At first, the right held a campaign of fear in complicity with the media
communication. A fear that an authoritarian regime would be imposed under the shadow of Vladimir
Cerron, the Secretary General of Peru Libre and for Peru to become another Venezuela. But
nothing more wrong; Castillo's government turns out to be a weak government founded on the
improvisation, lack of professionalism, inexperience in public management and a total
lack of commitment to make their campaign promises viable.

The right, Nevertheless, has been very clear about the destabilization strategy that comes
operating since the government of Pedro Pablo Kuczynski (2016). The presidential vacancy is a
legal interpretation argument that the Peruvian Congress has been making, designed strategy
from the bowels of fujimorismo. For Keiko Fujimori this is the third defeat
electoral that refuses to assume; but they have managed to win spaces in the legislature, which converts
Fujimorismo in the main political force with a parliamentary majority. The next "victim"
of the vacancy was Martín Vizcarra (successor of PPK) and then, during the transitional government,
they also used the vacancy as a mechanism to intimidate President Sagasti.
Banished the argument of electoral fraud, as well as that of the possible dictatorship of Castillo; the
right continues with its sustained attacks on the power and control it has over the media
Communication. the insults, the terruqueo and the disinformation against the government continue
like daily bread. There is no possible regulation mechanism and on more than one occasion
various public officials of the Castillo government; including the Minister for Women, anahí
Durand and the Minister of Culture, Gisela Ortiz, have been forced to file complaints
penalties for defamation.

Another phenomenon that has emerged after the electoral situation is the appearance of fascist groups of
extreme right ("The resistance") that summon the most conservative and retrograde sector of the
peruvian society. They went from verbal attacks to physical aggression; even with adjustments,
telephone interception and violation of the privacy of characters such as Prosecutor José Domingo
Pérez who directly investigates Keiko Fujimori.

there was no truce, nor the so-called "honeymoon", there was no respect or possible agreement with the right;
political instability is a questionable fact that causes obstructions with terrible
Away from bourgeois expressions, for example, the acquisition of vaccines, attention to social problems
emergencies and attention as a whole to the crisis generated by the pandemic.

What has been the government's response??

Pedro Castillo is not a president who knows how to communicate assertively, his few appearances
through the brief messages to the nation leave much to be desired. He has among his allies
progressive sector led by Verónika Mendoza. Together for Peru assumed a co-government with
Castillo, made its congressional bench available to 5 seats and also knew how to provide some
key ministers such as Pedro Francke in the Ministry of Economy.
After the disaster that the presence of Guido Bellido meant; progressivism knew how to launch a
lifeguard to Castillo in the person of former congresswoman Mirtha Vásquez (Frente Amplio), who knows
commissioned to give a moderate image to the government assuming the Presidency of the Council
of Ministers.

The Question of Confidence is a constitutional mechanism raised by the Executive Power of
mandatory when requesting the investiture of the President of the Council of Ministers and his
Cabinet before the Congress of the Republic; during what goes of 2021 Peru has had to
go through two processes of question of confidence and several interpellations to the ministers of
government, the last cost the departure of the Minister of Education, Carlos Gallardo.

Far from mobilizing the people that led him to electoral victory, government strategy (Pedro
castle and allies) has been to create apparatuses to defend democracy and governability. So much
with Guido Bellido as with Mirtha Vásquez, The response has been to continue making concessions to the
right to quench his thirst for power. For example, the presence of Óscar Maúrtua in the Ministry
Of Foreign Affairs. The devices fail to solve the problems as they do not respond to
grassroots organizations that represent real social pressure. Rather they boil down to
symbolic acts that do not even achieve the effectiveness that the government needs.

How is Peru Free?

Peru Libre arrives in Congress with 37 seats; of these, 16 come from the sector linked to Vladimir
Cerron and 19 to the sector known as "teaching". Nevertheless, after the entrance of Mirtha
Vásquez in the premierate and the consolidation of the alliance with progressivism in the co-government,
Cerrón took away the congressional votes that the government needed to reach the question of
trust. The accusations of Cerronismo have been of all caliber, from the complaint to Castillo
for moving away from the Program and Ideology of the party until the supposed domination of "los caviares";
term used to refer to progressives.
Due, they have ended up divided and faced. The bench of Peru Libre presented
several resignations, the most important: Guillermo Bermejo's, Peru's main political cadre
Libre and Betsy Chavez, Congressman for Tacna and current Minister of Labor.
Corruption also did not wait, from the beginning the Castillo government has been
marked by scandals. The most significant have been the discovery of twenty thousand dollars in one
of the government palace baths, what the resignation of Bruno Pacheco meant, Secretary
of General of the Presidency. Likewise, the complaints against Walter Ayala, former minister of
Defense for pressuring former general commanders of the Peruvian Army and Air Force (FAP)
to promote irregularly to officers. At present, the National Prosecutor's Office is
conducting a preliminary investigation against both characters.

What does the castle government bring?

Progressivism from its centrist and moderate position means one of the most
on which the government of Pedro Castillo is based. Nevertheless, the
political instability and the governance crisis have not been resolved. tax reforms
proposed by Pedro Francke to expand tax collection have been rejected by the
Congress. The promise of a new constitution has also remained little less than in the
forgot, This serious setback is a concession made to the right to achieve the so
long-awaited stability.

The popular disappointment has not been long in coming; but not precisely because of the betrayals that
complaint loudly in the neck Vladimir Cerrón. But because from the beginning there was none
intention or clear vision on how to make the promise of "no more poor in a country
rico”. While progressivism is committed to achieving governability and maintaining the
ministries and public positions achieved as a result of co-government, they get further and further away
to meet the real needs of the people.

Education is also an important pending in addressing, after two years of loss
of classes, the return to face-to-face attendance has been announced in the month of March 2022 for all
the education system, and schools nationwide begin to raise their voices because they do not
have a minimum budget to implement the sanitary protocols required in
pandemic. Another announced social conflict is the defense of the university reform, and there is
pronouncements and calls to action from various universities nationwide.

The right is very clear about the agenda for next year. The vacancy has not ceased to be
your main strategy. One after the other they will continue to place in the dock each
minister. It turns out that the interpellations also serve to hit them and boy do they do it
well. They will continue to delve into every detail without paying attention to the private life or honor of people,
They are even the ones who best know Castillo's weaknesses and now they have obtained support
of Cerron.

Pedro Castillo and his allies continue not only at a distance but also with their backs to the people. The new one
constitution will not be possible except with struggle and with the mobilized people. In Peru, the
defiant need to build a left alternative, a socialist alternative, a
alternative that does not end up making concessions but rather confronts the right with
determination. Beyond the polls there is still a lot to do.