Pedro Castillo: Pedro Francke considered that a change of ministerial cabinet “is the president's last chance”

After being part of Pedro Castillo's first and second cabinet, the economist Pedro Francke said that the president would have his days numbered if he does not appoint capable professionals to head the different portfolios in a possible recomposition of the Council of Ministers.

“I think we should hope for the best. Hope is the only thing that is lost. Some have said, and I think he has a lot of truth, that it is the last chance (of President Pedro Castillo). I do think that having a new cabinet that is again ineffective is going to be very difficult,” he said to Exitosa.

In this regard, Francke considered that the appointment of the Minister of Energy and Mines, Carlos Palacios, and that of Hernán Condori as head of the health sector, is to follow the orders and demands of the leader of the ruling Peru-Libre party, Vladimir Cerrón.

“The problem is that it puts highly incapable people. (It is) the Minister of Energy and Mines of Cerrón. And what happens from there? Cuajone conflict. How many days? 56 days. What have they done? At Salud, we were having a vaccination campaign that in my opinion has been enough to take off his hat. We were behind in Latin America and today we have more than 80% vaccinated with the third dose. We're better off than a lot of states in the United States. And you take out the successful recontra minister and put one that what he is doing is putting Cerrón's friends in different positions,” he added.

The former head of the Ministry of Economy said that, although the price hike has affected the economy around the world, this has hit the country strongly due to the neglect of the authorities and political polarization.

“This is a global issue, not only in Peru, but the rise in prices generates popular discontent. He generates it to Joe Biden in the United States and also here, only if we add it here to a high political polarization, to a government that already had its difficulties, and, moreover, to a government with a large popular base, because the poorest people voted for this government, (then) everyone is upset that oil, bread and chicken are still going up,” he said.

In this context, he indicated that emergency measures are necessary, since the crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic is joined by this new inflation crisis.

“I have proposed that a new bonus should be given, a new direct transfer, which is the most focused, lowest cost and best impact way than the other measures that have been proposed and taken. Many countries around the world are proposing this,” he said.

“Medium-term and long-term measures are also needed. For example, now that food prices are affected, an agricultural policy is needed. What we have called a second agrarian reform with much more support for agriculture,” he added.

He also noted that the international situation, due to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, has led to a global shortage of fertilizers. Faced with this, he pointed out that countries such as Venezuela and Bolivia have their own production of fertilizers and that Peru should have something similar, beyond “ideologies and political color.”

“It's a matter of how we do so that our farmers can have this essential productive element. Today, thinking about agricultural production that does not have fertilizers that help agricultural productivity is going back to the 19th century,” he added.

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