Pedro Castillo assumes the Presidency with the promise of interculturalizing Peru and reforming the Constitution | International | News
Wearing his traditional wide-brimmed straw hat and a suit with indigenous motifs, Pedro Castillo assumed the Presidency of Peru on Wednesday, receiving the symbols of the power of the State from the hands of the president of Congress, María del Carmen Alva, and in the middle of hopeful environment, but also concern from the private sector and from Peruvians who fear a sharp turn towards socialism after three decades of liberal policies.
“I swear by God, by my family, by my Peruvian sisters and brothers, peasants, native peoples, ronderos, fishermen, teachers, professionals, children, youth and women, that I will hold the office of President of the Republic for the period 2021-2026 . I swear by the peoples of Peru, by a country without corruption and by a new Constitution, “said the rural teacher, who assured that he will not seek a second term and will resume his teaching duties in 2026.
In his first speech as president, Castillo, 51, was emphatic in recalling Peru’s colonial past and pointing out that those structures of domination are still present as there are still excluded and marginalized populations for which he said he will immediately send to Congress. a project to reform the Constitution.
“We will present to Congress a bill to reform the Constitution that, after being debated by Parliament, we hope that it will be approved and then submitted to a popular referendum,” said the president. He said that the country cannot be “condemned to remain a prisoner” of the Magna Carta promulgated in 1993 by then-President Alberto Fujimori.
“We will insist on this proposal, but within the legal framework that the Constitution provides. We will have to reconcile positions with Congress, ”said Castillo, whose Peru Libre party has only 37 of the 130 seats in the Legislature.
Castillo announced that he will not govern from the Palace of Pizarro, the government house, which he will cede to the new Ministry of Cultures to be a museum on national history.
“I will not govern from the ‘House of Pizarro’ … We have to break with colonial symbols to end the ties of domination,” said the president, adding that “it is also necessary to interculturalize the State and establish that, when make relevant decisions, the voices of indigenous communities and the Afro-Peruvian people are considered ”.
In his speech, the president ruled out that he is going to execute the nationalization of any productive activity and, instead, announced the defense of the concept of “social profitability” in private investments and the creation of the Ministry of Science and Technology. EFE.
The investiture of Pedro Castillo was attended by the President of Colombia, Iván Duque (cd); the King of Spain, Felipe VI (c); and the Ecuadorian president, Guillermo Lasso (ci), among other foreign dignitaries.
Photo: EFE
“We do not intend, even remotely, to nationalize any economy, or to make a policy of exchange control,” said Castillo and recalled that during the electoral campaign “it has tried to scare the population with the story” that he wanted to “expropriate savings , the houses, the cars, the factories ”, which, he assured,“ is totally false ”.
“We will not do any of that, we want the economy to maintain order and predictability, which is the basis of investment decisions,” he added.
The head of state declared that it is possible to make the changes that the population expects “with responsibility, respecting private property and putting the interests of the nation forward” and added that what he will seek with his government is “to stop the abuses of the monopolies, of the consortia that corrupt and charge artificially high sums for basic goods and services, such as domestic gas and medicines ”.
Castillo also announced that the fight against COVID-19 will continue to be a priority in his administration. The rural teacher receives the country with the highest mortality from coronavirus per capita, with nearly 200,000 deaths, and an economy struggling to recover after contracting 11.8% in 2020.
“Our first task is to continue fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. This is not over. We will come forward. We have to govern at a time of gravity in our country, but I am sure that we will achieve vaccination [de la población]. Health will be a priority ”, he pointed out.
On the subject of social policies, the teacher and former union leader announced that the popular pots will be integrated into national policies and will assign a direct and immediate transfer of financial support of 700 soles ($ 175) to each vulnerable family and in terms of education, he said. which foresees declaring Peruvian education in a state of emergency and the internet as a right and not a service. Castillo also announced that young Peruvians who neither study nor work will have to go to military service.
In corruption and security, he promised to review all current legislation and sanction harshly and quickly all those who participate in it, including businessmen, and gave foreign criminals “72 hours to leave the country.”
Among his announcements, Castillo said that he will implement “the criterion of social profitability” in mining and other industries, which means that “every project must contribute to boosting the local, regional and national economy.” “If a project does not have social profitability, it does not go,” he said.
The president, Catholic and opposed to abortion and unions between people of the same sex, decided to postpone two days the appointment of his chief of staff and ministers, considered key to define the line that the nation will take, something that is unprecedented compared to his predecessors.
His inauguration ceremony was sober and simple and all the representatives of the powers of the State, the full Congress and close relatives of the president were present. Many streets in the center of Lima were surrounded by the police, who deployed 10,000 agents, while dozens of Castillo supporters expressed their support, he refers AFP.
The swearing in was attended by King Felipe VI of Spain, five presidents (Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Chile and Ecuador) and two vice presidents (Brazil and Uruguay), an envoy from the US president, Joe Biden, the secretary of Education, Miguel Cardona, and former Bolivian president Evo Morales, whom some compare to Castillo because of their rural origins.
The latest polls show that Castillo is seen by Peruvians with a mixture of hope (34%), uncertainty (29%), confidence (16%) and fear (15%).
Two more days of ceremonies await Castillo, this Thursday in Ayacucho a symbolic swearing-in and on Friday a military parade in Lima. These acts will complete the assumption of president, who has the challenge of overcoming the pandemic, reactivating the economy and ending the political upheavals that led the country to have three presidents in November 2020. (I)
