Peru's socialist president sacks PM, prepares for fourth cabinet reshuffle in six months

Peru’s left-wing President Pedro Castillo suffered yet another blow on Saturday after being forced to sack his recently appointed prime minister, Hector Valer, just four days after naming him to the post after his predecessor resigned over alleged corruption and illegal dealings at the highest level of government. 

Shortly after being appointed, Valer came under fire for allegedly beating his daughter and late wife – complaints he publicly denied in the Peruvian media. 

"I have decided to recompose the cabinet," Castillo said in a television address. 

But the Marxist leader must now name his fourth cabinet since taking office just six months ago, and has said he will aim to incorporate representatives from a range of political parties. 

"Not only was Castillo unprepared for national political office, he also did not have a political or social base to count on for support, nor was he able to bring in capable advisers and experts in the various sectors any president needs to govern," Cynthia Sanborn, political science professor at Peru's Universidad del Pacifico told the AP. 

What should be noted, however, is that if the Peruvian Congress were to block Castillo’s next cabinet, the constitution allows the president to shut down Congress and call for new legislative elections. 

Valer recognized this upon first being appointed and noted that a cabinet rejection could be a blessing for the leader of the Marxist Free Peru party as it would put the president one step closer to having a "gold bullet, which is the dissolution of Congress."