Peru president replaces leftist prime minister after clashes
- The move comes as newly elected leader Pedro Castillo seeks to appease conservative critics
- Guido Bellido’s ousting marks the second high-profile departure from the cabinet just months into the president’s administration
Peru’s President Pedro Castillo moved toward appeasing conservative critics, announcing plans to replace his radical prime minister as he seeks a more stable political environment after three months of clashes with Congress.
Guido Bellido was generally far to the left of Castillo’s already left-leaning government, with critics accusing him of having sympathy for Marxist terrorists.
A new cabinet will be sworn in late Wednesday after Bellido departs, Castillo said in a video speech, without saying who will take over as prime minister.
“It is time to put Peru above all ideology and isolated party positions,” the president said, adding that the decision to replace his prime minister seeks to achieve more “governability”.
The announcement marks the second high-profile departure from Castillo’s cabinet just a few months into his presidency, after former foreign minister Hector Bejar resigned amid outrage over his support for Cuba and a video in which he espoused conspiracy theories.