Gustavo Adriansén appointed new Prime minister

PERU - In Brief 06 Mar 2024 by Alfredo Thorne

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Last night, Prime Minister Alberto Otárola resigned. He had been under pressure and turned into a drag on President Dina Boluarte. An edited audio released on a prime TV program Panorama on Sunday night had prompted his resignation. In this audio he is listened offering a job in the government to Yasiré Pinedo, a woman very close to him, and from the conversation, one may conclude that it is his lover. But close inspection of the audio and comments made by Pinedo in several TV programs on Monday, indicated that this audio was taped in January 2021, when Otárola was a lawyer and not a civil servant. Last night after offering his resignation, he said that this was a plot against him organized by former President Martin Vizcarra—a domestic version of Game of Thrones. Leaving aside the plot, the truth was that Otárola had become a liability for President Boluarte. It was not the first time that the press has argued that he had offered jobs to his friends. Moreover, the left-wing political parties blamed him for the 49 deaths during last year protests, when he has Defense Minister and the Army shot directly on protesters. Surprisingly, he had less popularity than the president and was dragging her down. In our February report, we argued that one option in the reshuffle was to replace him, yet the president resisted. He was her personal lawyer and a very shrewd politician responsible for the alliance with Congress and the government stability. A few hours ago, Gustavo Adriansén, a lawyer who served at the OAS, took oath as Prime Minister. He is an unknown politician, but being from Cuzco and experienced in human rights, tells what the president's objective is. She has appoin...