LIMA, Sept 10 — Peru’s Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Rodriguez resigned on Friday, becoming the fourth diplomatic chief to step down under President Pedro Castillo whose government has been wracked by political instability.
Castillo, who has survived two impeachment attempts since taking over in July 2021 and is facing six criminal investigations into alleged corruption, has seen a wave of key appointments step down this year.
Last month, former prime minister Anibal Torres became the fourth incumbent to resign from Castillo’s government, which has also seen seven interior ministers leave office.
Rodriguez announced his “irrevocable resignation from the post” in a letter shared on the foreign ministry’s Twitter account.
Local media recently reported disagreements between Rodriguez and Castillo, including over several high-profile environmental issues.
Castillo’s first foreign minister was former guerrilla fighter Héctor Béjar, who lasted just 19 days in the post.
The leftist president, who has been under nonstop fire from his right-wing rivals, appeared before prosecutors on Monday to respond to accusations that he ran a graft network from his office, dismissing the claims as a political ploy to unseat him.
He is serving a five-year term that ends in 2026 and cannot be tried while in office.
Peru is no stranger to instability: it had three different presidents in five days in 2020, and five presidents and three legislatures since 2016. — AFP
