Peru’s prime minister resigned after three days on the job on Saturday, a day after Peruvian President Pedro Castillo announced that he would renew his Cabinet yet again amid the biggest crisis since his administration began.
Hector Valer, the third prime minister in the six months of Castillo’s government, said he was “machine-gunned by the newspapers” that created an image of him as “abusive and violent.”
Local media released police complaints from 2016 against Valer for domestic violence in which his wife and daughter accused him of physical aggression, including kicking, punching and hair pulling.
Photo: AFP / Peruvian Presidency / Juan Pablo Azabache
Valer, whose wife died last year, denied assaulting them.
He is Peru’s shortest-serving prime minister in 42 years.
Castillo is to name a new prime minister, his fourth, and has promised that the new Cabinet would be broad-based and open to all political parties.
Castillo’s government remains mired in crisis. For the first time people who voted for him in last year’s election are protesting, criticizing his lack of care in choosing ministers.
Former conservative candidate Keiko Fujimori, who lost to Castillo, said earlier that the president must resign.
“He does not know how to summon people; he does not feel the responsibility of the position,” she said.
The pledge by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to “work, work, work, work and work” for her country has been named the catchphrase of the year, recognizing the effort Japan’s first female leader had to make to reach the top. Takaichi uttered the phrase in October when she was elected as head of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). Many were initially as worried about her work ethic as supportive of her enthusiasm. In a country notorious for long working hours, especially for working women who are also burdened with homemaking and caregiving, overwork is a sensitive topic. The recognition triggered a
A plan by Switzerland’s right-wing People’s Party to cap the population at 10 million has the backing of almost half the country, according to a poll before an expected vote next year. The party, which has long campaigned against immigration, argues that too-fast population growth is overwhelming housing, transport and public services. The level of support comes despite the government urging voters to reject it, warning that strict curbs would damage the economy and prosperity, as Swiss companies depend on foreign workers. The poll by newspaper group Tamedia/20 Minuten and released yesterday showed that 48 percent of the population plan to vote
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