Peru´s Castillo nominates new Interior Minister

By Laura Gamba

BOGOTA, Colombia (AA) - Peruvian left-wing President Pedro Castillo nominated former Supreme Prosecutor Avelino Guillen to be the new Interior Minister on Thursday.

Guillen was the prosecutor in the trial against former President Alberto Fujimori, who is currently imprisoned on human rights violations and corruption charges.

Peru's Congress, currently controlled by the right-wing opposition, must now confirm the appointment but it is unclear whether the nomination will be validated. Keiko Fujimori, the leader of the political movement created by her father, who is the former president, said her party will vote against confirmation.

Guillen replaces Luis Barrenzuela, who resigned Tuesday after he violated coronavirus regulations by holding a Halloween party at his home in Lima.

Peru has been hard-hit by the virus. With more than 200,000 dead, the South American country has the world's highest death rate per capita.

Castillo, 51, has had a bumpy start to his presidency. The former schoolteacher from rural Peru appointed Guido Bellido to the prime minister post. But Bellido resigned days later.

Bellido was investigated by prosecutors for an alleged "apology for terrorism" after he appeared to defend those who supported the Shining Path, the Maoist terror organization that killed at least 28,000 Peruvians in the 1980s and 1990s.

The move triggered the resignation of his entire Cabinet.

After his resignation, Castillo swore in a new Prime Minister Mirtha Vasquez, a moderate leftist politician, a move seen as an attempt to tone down his radical leftist speech.