LIMA, Aug 5 (Reuters) – Peruvian President Pedro Castillo shuffled his cabinet on Friday, appointing a new finance minister but halting short of a comprehensive overhaul by keeping Prime Minister Anibal Torres in his role.
The president has tapped Kurt Burneo, a center-left economist who served as deputy economy minister in the early 2000s under President Alejandro Toledo, to replace Oscar Graham as the key finance minister.
Burneo is a former director of the Central Bank of Peru and former president of the Bank of the Nation.
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On Friday night, Castillo said he didn’t accept Torres’ resignation earlier this week, tweeting that Torres remains committed to working for the country.
Keeping Torres as chief of staff means the executive branch won’t have to seek another confidence vote from Congress, removing a key risk.
Castillo’s decision to keep Torres comes amid searing tensions with Congress. The legislature this week rejected Castillo’s request to travel for the Colombian presidential inauguration, an unprecedented rejection that has been treated as routine in the past.
Castillo’s presidency was increasingly beset by political instability and allegations of corruption. Read more
Prosecutors have opened five criminal investigations against the president and some lawmakers are calling for his removal for the third time.
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Reporting by Marco Aquino and Marcelo Rochabrun; Written by Marcelo Rochabrun and Brendan O’Boyle; Editing by Kim Coghill & Shri Navaratnam
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