Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo on Sunday brought in seven independent figures in a Cabinet reshuffle aimed at restoring his credibility and avoiding early elections.
But opposition politicians and analysts said the changes alone would not save Toledo, who has a public approval rating of 7 percent after two and one-half years in power.
"I don't believe this will calm the political crisis," novelist and former presidential candidate Mario Vargas Llosa told America Television. "Toledo is weak and lacks leadership."
Toledo brought back Pedro Pablo Kuczynski as his economy and finance minister after intense talks with political parties and business groups to form a "consensus Cabinet."
The new team was to be sworn in yesterday.
Its task will be to end the turmoil that has rocked the government after corruption scandals cost four ministers and the vice president their jobs since November.
"What we hope is that it gives a sufficient margin of support to stabilize the government to see it last until 2006," political analyst Eduardo Toche said.
Many ordinary Peruvians say Toledo has failed to turn strong economic growth into jobs and prosperity. They want early elections before the president's term ends in 2006.
Some political parties and commentators have called for Toledo to stay in his post but hand real power to Prime Minister Carlos Ferrero.
"Nothing will change with this make-over," said lawmaker Cesar Zumaeta, a member of the largest opposition party, the American Popular Revolutionary Alliance.
"The situation is going to get more complicated because in the next few weeks there will be very strong social demonstrations. There's an agricultural strike, a transport strike, a coca growers' [meeting], and Toledo will be to blame for failing to change his attitude," he said.
Toledo's Peru Posible party said opposition parties had jumped to criticize the Cabinet even before it had been sworn in.
Toledo's credibility took a blow last month when an audiotape revealed a friend and former adviser discussing bribing judges with a key member of the corruption network spawned by the government of disgraced former president Alberto Fujimori.
Announcing the ministerial changes, Ferrero said Kuczynski, a fund manager widely respected on Wall Street, had been tapped to return to the post he held in Toledo's first Cabinet between July 2001 and July 2002.
Kuczynski took over from another independent figure, Jaime Quijandria.
The president moved him back to his previous job as energy and mines minister. Mining is the motor behind the Andean nation's US$60 billion economy.
Toledo also brought in new ministers of justice, education, health, employment, production and transport.
Seven ministers remain in their posts, including the foreign, interior and defense ministers.
Ferrero told a news conference that only the ministers of housing and agriculture belonged to a political party.
"The number of independents is higher than ever ... We have been very careful that none has any links with political groups," Ferrero told reporters.
OPTIMISTIC: A Philippine Air Force spokeswoman said the military believed the crew were safe and were hopeful that they and the jet would be recovered A Philippine Air Force FA-50 jet and its two-person crew are missing after flying in support of ground forces fighting communist rebels in the southern Mindanao region, a military official said yesterday. Philippine Air Force spokeswoman Colonel Consuelo Castillo said the jet was flying “over land” on the way to its target area when it went missing during a “tactical night operation in support of our ground troops.” While she declined to provide mission specifics, Philippine Army spokesman Colonel Louie Dema-ala confirmed that the missing FA-50 was part of a squadron sent “to provide air support” to troops fighting communist rebels in
PROBE: Last week, Romanian prosecutors launched a criminal investigation against presidential candidate Calin Georgescu accusing him of supporting fascist groups Tens of thousands of protesters gathered in Romania’s capital on Saturday in the latest anti-government demonstration by far-right groups after a top court canceled a presidential election in the EU country last year. Protesters converged in front of the government building in Bucharest, waving Romania’s tricolor flags and chanting slogans such as “down with the government” and “thieves.” Many expressed support for Calin Georgescu, who emerged as the frontrunner in December’s canceled election, and demanded they be resumed from the second round. George Simion, the leader of the far-right Alliance for the Unity of Romanians (AUR), which organized the protest,
ECONOMIC DISTORTION? The US commerce secretary’s remarks echoed Elon Musk’s arguments that spending by the government does not create value for the economy US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick on Sunday said that government spending could be separated from GDP reports, in response to questions about whether the spending cuts pushed by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency could possibly cause an economic downturn. “You know that governments historically have messed with GDP,” Lutnick said on Fox News Channel’s Sunday Morning Futures. “They count government spending as part of GDP. So I’m going to separate those two and make it transparent.” Doing so could potentially complicate or distort a fundamental measure of the US economy’s health. Government spending is traditionally included in the GDP because
Hundreds of people in rainbow colors gathered on Saturday in South Africa’s tourist magnet Cape Town to honor the world’s first openly gay imam, who was killed last month. Muhsin Hendricks, who ran a mosque for marginalized Muslims, was shot dead last month near the southern city of Gqeberha. “I was heartbroken. I think it’s sad especially how far we’ve come, considering how progressive South Africa has been,” attendee Keisha Jensen said. Led by motorcycle riders, the mostly young crowd walked through the streets of the coastal city, some waving placards emblazoned with Hendricks’s image and reading: “#JUSTICEFORMUHSIN.” No arrest
RSS