Lawmakers from the Peru Posible party say they will continue to support legislation from President Ollanta Humala’s Gana Peru party, following criticism of the government’s recent cabinet shuffle, daily El Comercio reported.
Their announcement comes shortly after ex-President Alejandro Toledo said Peru Posible would distance itself from Humala’s government, leading analysts to speculate where Humala would seek support in Congress since his Gana Peru party has a minority in Congress and requires support from other parties to pass legislation.
The continuing support from Peru Posible comes as good news to many who wondered if Humala would be forced to seek an alliance with the Fujimori party, Fuerza 2011, including historian and former cabinet advisor Sinesio Lopez .
Toledo threw his support behind Humala in the second round of this year’s presidential campaign, and his party had two members in President Humala’s cabinet in exchange for support from Peru Posible legislators in Congress.
But Humala’s sudden cabinet shift over the weekend, which included the resignation of cabinet chief Salomon Lerner Ghitis and the Gana Peru ministers —Daniel Mora in Defense and Kurt Burneo in Production— led Toledo to raise concerns that Humala was militarizing the government and withdrew his support from the political alliance.
Humala, a 49-year-old former army officer, appointed Oscar Valdes as his chief of cabinet following failed attempts to negotiate with opponents of the $4.8 billion Minas Conga gold project. Valdes, a retired military officer, was Interior Minister during the negotiations and supported Humala’s declaration of a state-of-emergency in parts of Cajamarca region, where Conga is located.
Peru Posible legislator Carmen Omonte said: “We have left the executive, but we will continue supporting the government. None of that is going to change.”
Jorge Rimarachin, a congressman for Gana Peru, said: “There isn’t a rupture. Ex-President Alejandro Toledo said that Peru Posible would leave the cabinet, but not remove support for the governance, which is what the country needs.”
