New Peruvian president's pro-business cabinet could clash with resurgent left
New Peruvian president's pro-business cabinet could clash with resurgent left
Pedro Pablo Kuczynski aspires to turn Peru into a ‘beacon of civilization’ in South America but he faces people’s distrust and an unfriendly congress
Associated Press in Lima
Thursday 28 July 2016 16.02 EDT
Pedro Pablo Kuczynski was sworn in as Peru’s president on Thursday with a cabinet that shares his Ivy League, pro-business pedigree – a reliance on technocrats that could become a liability as he deals with an unfriendly congress and a resurgent left.
The conservative Kuczynski has economics degrees from Oxford and Princeton and worked for decades on Wall Street and at the World Bank. His cabinet reflects his preference for brains and the boardroom: it’s full of PhDs from foreign universities and former captains of Peruvian industry.
“I can’t remember in the country’s history such a pro-business cabinet,” said Francisco Durand, who teaches political science at Lima’s Catholic University.
In his inaugural address, Kuczynski said his biggest goal, in addition to fighting drug trafficking and crime, will be delivering drinking water to the roughly 40% of Peruvians he said lack such basic services. He also vowed to make Peru a member of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the Paris-based group of mostly rich nations.
More:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jul/28/peru-president-pedro-pablo-kucynski-cabinet-congress
