As usual any official announcement doesn’t happen until the actual swearing-in ceremony due to happen at 5pm Lima time today, but El Comercio is reporting that Javier Velasquez, corrupt career politico and APRA congress stalwart, has been chosen by Twobreakfasts as the new PM. Velasquez is one of those politicos that has always had the whiff of major corruption around him but has only been fingered for a couple of minor infringements, such as when his congressional secretary was found to have been getting favours from the congress head in return for unknown kickbacks. Then there was that time Velasquez was on state business in Brazil and was photographed with a sultry maiden in a nightclub while spending money claimed as legitimate expenses later….y’know, typical smalltime stuff.
Other changes include the big bye-bye for the awful Mercedes Cabanillas as Interior Minister, to be replaced by ex-police chief Octavio Salazar, Rafael Rey in as Defence Minister (goodbye even worse Antaro Flores), Mercedes Araoz moved sideways to become Minister of Production, with the new Commerce Minister Martin Perez from the right wing UN party.
The bottom line to the reshuffle can be summed up with a South American ditty; “Cambiar baba x moco” (like changing saliva for snot).