Living in Peru : your everyday companion

Living in Peru
Israel J. Ruiz

With six new members and led by leftist governor Yehude Simon Munaro, Alan Garcia swore in his new Cabinet on Tuesday afternoon in the Government Palace's Golden Office.

The first three ministers that were sworn in were not new to Garcia's cabinet.

José García Belaunde, Ántero Flores Aráoz and Luis Valdivieso will continue to be Peru's Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Defense and Economy.

The Minister of the Interior did vary however. Remigio Hernani Meloni, former head of the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation (DIRINCRI) is the new Interior Minister.

While the ministers of Justice and Education remained the same, the new Health Minister will be Óscar Ugarte Ubillús, a doctor that graduated from the University of San Marcos.

Sociologist Carlos Leyton Muñoz, who is part of the regional presidency in Arequipa, is Peru's new Minister of Agriculture.

Jorge Villasante Aranibar, former vice minister of labor, will now be Peru's Labor Minister and economist Elena Conterno Martinelli, who obtained a masters at Harvard University will be the country's Production Minister.

The Minster of Foreign Trade and Tourism will continue to be Mercedes Aráoz. On the other hand, the new Minister of Energy will be engineer Pedro Sánchez Gamarra.

While the Ministers of Transportation and Housing will continue to be Verónica Zavala and Enrique Cornejo, sociologist Carmen Vildoso Chirinos swore in as the Minister for Women and Social Development.

Antonio Brack will continue to be Peru's Environment Minister.