Who is Guido Bellido, the controversial chief of staff of Pedro Castillo in Peru

The brand new president of Peru, the leftist Pedro Castillo, swore in front of the legislator this Thursday Guido Bellido as Chief of Staff, in a ceremony with foreign leaders at the site of the historic battle of Ayacucho in 1824, the day after his inauguration in a polarized climate.

Castillo began his five-year term amid the hope of thousands of compatriots, but also the concern of a large part of Peruvians who fear a sudden turn towards socialism after decades of liberal politics.

Thousands of residents gathered at the site of the battle, who witnessed the oath of Bellido, a 41-year-old electronics engineer with no civil service experience and of peasant origin like Castillo.

Peruvian media reported that the prosecution investigated Bellido for alleged “excuse of terrorism”, per statements in an interview in April, before he took his seat in Congress on Friday, which grants him immunity.

The appointment of Bellido “is a message that polarizes”, reacted the radical right-wing lawmaker Alejandro Cavero, in statements to the radio RPP of Lima.

Castillo, 51, also planned to take the oath Thursday evening to the 18 other ministers who will accompany him, the presidency reported.

Bellido must appear before a month before Congress to ask for a vote of confidence to the new cabinet. If rejected, Castillo will have to appoint another prime minister and reorganize the cabinet.

Warning Keiko Fujimori

During his inauguration, Castillo announced that he would send to Congress a constitutional reform project, which promotes economic liberalism and was promulgated in 1993 by President Alberto Fujimori, the imprisoned father of his rival Keiko Fujimori in the June 6 poll.

Keiko responded by saying that his party, Fuerza Popular, “will be a firm retaining wall in front of his. latent threat of a new communist constitution “, while dozens of his supporters demonstrated in the streets against the new ruler, a rural teacher in the poor region of northern Cajamarca.

“We will insist on this proposal, but within the legal framework provided by the Constitution. We will have to reconcile positions with Congress,” he said. Castillo, whose Peru Free party has only 37 of the 130 seats. The second bench is Fuerza Popular, with 24.

Castillo also announced during his inauguration that he would not rule the country from Pizarro Palace, the house of government, since he plans to turn it into a museum, and pledged that at the end of his term he would will resume his “usual teaching duties”, alluding to the fact that does not intend to stay in power.

Traditional ceremony

Castillo and several foreign dignitaries participated this Thursday in the ceremony in the Pampa de la Quinua, scene of the Battle of Ayacucho on December 9, 1824, which sealed the independence of Peru and the rest of Spanish America.

The site of the battle is located at an altitude of 3,400 meters and a marble obelisk commemorates the victory of the Patriots.

Signal to markets

The cabinet appointment should send a signal to the markets, which became worried after the announcement of the constitutional reform when it was a campaign promise.

The reform is causing “more instability” and “a climate of mistrust,” the head of the Peruvian business management organization (Confiep), Oscar Caipo, told RPP radio.

“The cabinet, I believe, will be run largely by the state, not by sects,” said Otero, former adviser to the late President Alan García.

Castillo reiterated in his first message that he would not proceed with expropriations, although he made it clear that he would favor a “new pact with private investors”.

The president has the challenge to reactivate an economy hard hit by the pandemic, which fell 11.12% in 2020, as well as ending the political upheaval that led the country to have three presidents in November 2020.

Gesture in Venezuela

Hours after Castillo was sworn in, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Venezuelan government of Nicolás Maduro, Jorge Arreaza, arrived in Lima, whose visit marks a turning point in foreign policy of Peru, which recognized in 2019 the opposition Juan Guaidó as interim leader of Venezuela, like 60 other countries.

Arreaza was present at the ceremony in Ayacucho, where Castillo called on national and local authorities to “get to work for Peru”.

Venezuela was a recurring theme in the election campaign, with candidate Fujimori saying her opponent intended to follow in Maduro’s footsteps. Castillo denied being “Chavist” or wanting to copy the Venezuelan model.

Castillo’s swearing-in ceremony in Lima brought together King Felipe VI of Spain, five presidents (Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Chile and Ecuador) and two vice-presidents (Brazil and Uruguay), as well as an envoy from the US president , Joe Biden, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona.

Source: AFP

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