Peru's President sacks PM accused of domestic violence

Peru's President Pedro Castillo sacked Prime Minister Hector Valer Pinto three days after appointing him, after revelations that he was accused of domestic violence. 

"I have decided to recompose the cabinet," he said in a television address, where he did not mention Pinto by name. 

This is Castillo's third cabinet reshuffle. He said he would reconstitute the cabinet, after leaders in Congress declined to hold a vote of confidence on the Cabinet named Tuesday. The opposition and some other cabinet members were opposed to Pinto's presence in the government. 

Charges of domestic violence

Pinto came under pressure after newspapers said his wife and daughter had reported him twice for domestic violence in 2016. He has denied being an "abuser," and said he was never convicted. 

A judge had issued a protective order for his wife. 

He had said he would stay in his job unless Congress passed a vote of no-confidence. Castillo's new cabinet still needs to be confirmed through a congressional vote. The prime minister position in Peru is the chief adviser to the president and also presides and helps appoint the rest of the cabinet.

Unstable government 

The new cabinet will be Castillo's fourth since taking power in 2021.

"Not only was Castillo unprepared for national political office, he also did not have a political or social base to count on for support, nor was he able to bring in capable advisers and experts in the various sectors any president needs to govern," Cynthia Sanborn, political science professor at Peru's Universidad del Pacifico told AP news agency. 

Castillo was a schoolteacher and an underdog in Peru's last elections. Experts had warned of his political inexperience being detrimental to his position of power.

Many have also criticized Peru's political system, in which no party holds a majority and it is difficult to push through new programs or make changes.

tg/aw (AFP, AP, Reuters)