President Vizcarra announces new cabinet members

 

After promising a clean slate of cabinet members during his swearing-in ceremony, President Martín Vizcarra has delivered with an entirely new staff that highlights his stated plans to bridge gaps between the opposition parties and root out corruption.

Opposition-party lawmaker César Villanueva was named as prime minister, confirming reports that began coming out last week. The centrist congressman from the Alliance for Progress Party will begin his second stint in the position presiding over the cabinet after he served in the same role on Ollanta Humala’s staff. He is a former governor of the San Martín region in the Amazon.

Other notable appointments include Nestor Popolizio Bardales as the Foreign Affairs Minister, who moves one step up from his vice-minister spot, and Edmer Trujillo Mori, a minister under Pedro Pablo Kuczynski’s government, being named new Transport and Communications Minister.

“This is the team that will help me with the ultimate task of bringing development and well-being to Peruvians across the country,” Vizcarra said at the ceremony. “Team Peru. Peru first.”

Vizcarra’s government gets a quick welcome to the world stage in two weeks when it hosts the Summit of the Americas in Lima from April 13 to April 14.

Below is a complete list of the 19 heads of state that Vizcarra swore in during the Monday afternoon event at Peru’s Palace Courtyard, according to state-run news agency Andina:

Prime Minister: César Villanueva Arevalo

Economy and Finance Minister: David Tuesta Cardenas

Transport and Communications Minister: Edmer Trujillo Mori (sworn-in on March 27)

Foreign Affairs Minister: Nestor Popolizio Bardales

Foreign Trade and Tourism Minister: Roger Valencia Espinoza

Energy and Mines Minister: Francisco Ismodes Mezzano

Agriculture and Irrigation Minister: Gustavo Mostajo Ocola

Education Minister: Daniel Alfaro Paredes

Defense Minister: Jose Huerta Torres

Justice and Human Rights Minister: Salvador Heresi Chicoma

Health Minister: Silvia Pessah Eljay

Interior Minister: Mauro Medina Guimaraes

Labor and Employment Minister: Christian Sanchez Reyes 

Housing, Construction, and Sanitation Minister: Javier Pique del Pozo

Environment Minister: Fabiola Muñoz Dodero

Development and Social Inclusion Minister: Liliana La Rosa Huertas

Production Minister: Daniel Cordova Cayo 

Women and Vulnerable Populations: Ana Maria Mendieta Trefogli 

Culture Minister: Patricia Balbuena Palacios

Michael Krumholtz: