Currently the bench of Peru Libre, the party that promoted the candidacy of the Peruvian president, is in danger of splitting.
By Carlos Ugo Santander / Latin America21
On the afternoon of Wednesday, October 6, President Castillo announced in a short message to Peruvians that he accepted the resignation – which was actually requested – of his prime minister, the radical leftist Guido Bellido. Thus, one of the shortest and most controversial steps in Peruvian political life came to an end less than 100 days after the new government began.
Guido Bellido was not the government’s first casualty, but unlike Héctor Béjar, the former foreign minister, the latter had to resign under pressure from radical right-wing groups. In just three months, the former prime minister filled everyone’s patience as he even conspired in internal communications between parliamentarians against the president’s nominations.
Bellido was elected congressman for Peru Libre, but with his nomination as minister he became the president’s most important collaborator in leading the general policy of the government, a kind of second man after Castillo. And although due to his political weight he had every right to demand more space for his cadres in the Government, in the short time as minister he developed an agenda different from the needs and objectives of the Government.
In addition, by nominating people lacking minimum skills for the exercise of public function, instead of names that could contribute to the construction of a solid government, he turned these first two months into a martyrdom for the government that was permanently besieged by the opposition.
Differences with Castillo
Amid so many urgencies and difficulties, Bellido set about promoting an ideology-based political agenda rather than focusing on more concrete public policy issues. And his ambition led him to seek notoriety in matters he did not know. This inexperience contributed to the more radical opposition gaining more space in Congress, driving the moderates away to rally in favor of the dismissal of the Minister of Labor, Iver Maraví, another of the radical incumbents close to the leader of Peru Libre, Vladimir Cerrón.
Without a simple majority in Congress and without control of the parliamentary agenda, if the Government seeks to promote changes, it is forced to seek a broader articulation strategy that dialogue with other political forces, especially with the more moderate parliamentarians. However, unlike the speech of the president, who was in favor of a balanced position from the beginning, that of Bellido was daring and aggressive despite the weakness of his party, which has only 37 of the 130 seats.
The great problem of radical platforms when they come to government – whether from the left or the right – is the difficulty of translating their ideological discourses into concrete solutions and public policies. Hence, ideological agendas tend to be confrontational, generic, repetitive, and lacking in content. This led Bellido and his supporters to miss a great opportunity to contribute to the government with concrete proposals.
The cracks in government
Beyond the fact that Bellido is no longer there, the differences between some ministers have left fissures that project into the ruling party itself, which seems to be divided between those who support the moderation of Pedro Castillo and those who seek the transition to a more radical change.
If the most radical wing of the ruling party does not assume the weakness of its government and insists on resolving demands linked to a moral imperative, instead of a strategic one, it is possible that the government bench will break. If so, the radicals could become increasingly isolated.
Faced with such disorder in the Government, the good news is that the latest survey by the Ipsos company mentions that 77% of Peruvians consider that the president should not be removed or vacated from his post. However, the most radical opposition in Congress insists on passing unconstitutional laws to curtail the prerogatives of the president, such as the one that seeks to limit the Executive in the use of the question of trust, by prohibiting it from being raised on constitutional reforms or matters of competence of the Congress.
Perhaps it is time that the different legislative forces also set out to isolate, once and for all, right-wing radicals to improve the political climate and that the Government can focus on facing the challenges that the pandemic has left in the country. . (O)
Carlos Ugo Santander is a political scientist and associate professor and researcher at the Federal University of Goiás (Brazil). Doctor in Sociology from the Univ. Of Brasilia (UnB). Post-doctorate at the Univ. De San Marcos (Peru). Specialized in comparative studies on Latin America.
www.latinoamerica21.com, a plural medium committed to the dissemination of critical and truthful information about Latin America.
Paul is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment and general news. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established herself as a respected voice in the industry.
