Monthly Archives: August 2021

El caótico arranque de Pedro Castillo en Perú: entre las dudas sobre su liderazgo y una inminente batalla política Varios nombramientos en el gabinete, muy cuestionados, anticipan un choque del Poder Ejecutivo con el Congreso, que debe aprobarlos

El caótico arranque de Pedro Castillo en Perú: entre las dudas sobre su liderazgo y una inminente batalla política Varios nombramientos en el gabinete, muy cuestionados, anticipan un choque del Poder Ejecutivo con el Congreso, que debe aprobarlos
  • August 12, 2021
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LIMA.– En su ceremonia de asunción del mes pasado, que coincidió con el,bicentenario de la independencia de su país, el primer presidente campesino de Perú condenó el “régimen racial” impuesto por los conquistadores que sigue dividiendo a las sociedades latinoamericanas hasta el día de hoy. Y para que no quedaran dudas de lo que estaba diciendo, Pero Castillo prometió que no usaría la residencia presidencial, conocida como “Casa de Pizarro” por su fundador, Francisco Pizarro, líder de la conquista. El presidente izquierdista de 51 años, exmaestro de escuela rural, recalcó que ya era tiempo…Read more …

Chaotic start to Castillo’s presidency leaves Peruvians wondering who’s in charge

Chaotic start to Castillo’s presidency leaves Peruvians wondering who’s in charge
  • August 12, 2021
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LIMA, Peru — At his swearing-in ceremony on the 200th anniversary of Peruvian independence last month, Peru’s first campesino president condemned the “racial regime” imposed by the conquistadors that continues to divide Latin American societies today. To hammer the point home, Pedro Castillo promised not to use the presidential residence, known as the “House of Pizarro” after its founder, Francisco Pizarro, who led the subjugation of the Incas. The leftist president, a 51-year-old former schoolteacher from rural Peru, insisted it was time to “break with colonial symbols.” But now, just two weeks into his historic presidency, Castillo’s inexperience, and his appointment…Read more …

Postcard from Lima: ‘Few nations have been hit worse by the Covid pandemic than Peru’ The country is in turmoil but vaccination continues apace and tourism is slowly returning

Postcard from Lima: ‘Few nations have been hit worse by the Covid pandemic than Peru’ The country is in turmoil but vaccination continues apace and tourism is slowly returning
  • August 8, 2021
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For once I got lucky. Thanks to President Biden’s administration suddenly donating two million doses of the Pfizer vaccine to Peru, I received my second shot last month — on the 27th. The timing was auspicious. It was not just the eve of the much-hyped 200th anniversary of Peruvian independence, but also of the swearing-in of Pedro Castillo, the first campesino (peasant farmer) to become president of this complex, dazzling and exasperating South American nation. The rise to power of the 51-year-old rural school teacher — and aficionado of the Cuban and Venezuelan dictatorships — has rattled…Read more …

A tumultuous first week in office for Peru’s new president Pedro Castillo is facing political and economic turmoil – including calls for his impeachment – as he forms his administration.

A tumultuous first week in office for Peru’s new president Pedro Castillo is facing political and economic turmoil – including calls for his impeachment – as he forms his administration.
  • August 7, 2021
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Lima, Peru – Since winning Peru’s presidential runoff with an explicitly Marxist policy platform, Pedro Castillo has been at pains to assure citizens and investors alike that his government will be moderate and unifying. “We are not Chavistas, we are not communists, we are not extremists,” he said shortly before being sworn in on July 28, as he sought to play down fears that his government would ravage Peru’s democracy and economy. But since offering those assurances, the former rural school teacher and union leader, who refuses to criticise the Cuban and Venezuelan dictatorships,…Read more …