New president to replace PM of Peru in bid for consensus

LIMA: Peru’s incoming president Martin Vizcarra will replace the country’s prime minister in a bid to form a consensus government with input from a broad representation of political groups and institutions, two sources close to Vizcarra said.

Prime Minister Mercedes Araoz will remain in her other position as vicepresident, the two sources and a third source close to Araoz said on Thursday.

Araoz had previously vowed to resign the vicepresidency out of loyalty to outgoing president Pedro Pablo Kuczynski if Congress forced him from office. Vizcarra and Araoz did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Kuczynski tendered his resignation to Congress on Wednesday as an eleventhhour votebuying scandal destroyed his chances of surviving an impeachment vote and prompted a criminal probe. He denies any wrongdoing.

The move rallied markets, amid hopes that it would end months of political uncertainty in the top metals exporter. But Kuczynski’s bitter battle with the opposition has fractured political parties, eroded trust in elected officials and sparked calls for new elections.

In a bid to restore credibility in institutions while averting a fresh crisis, Vizcarra will ask different political and civil society groups to weigh in on important decisions, starting with a new Cabinet, the sources close to him said.