Peru´s President Martin Vizcara on Thursday appointed a new cabinet of nine new ministers, including a dissident from the opposition Fujimori party, three days after parliament dissolved and called for early legislative elections.
The new government consists of 19 ministers, including eight women.
The ministers included Gustavo Meza Quadra, a diplomat and former UN ambassador who was appointed foreign minister, and Francesco Petruzzi, a singer who was elected deputy in 2016 on behalf of the opposition before he left.
In a televised speech Tuesday, President Vizcara announced the dissolution of parliament for the first time since 1992, and called for early legislative elections on January 26.
But parliament responded by voting by 86 votes to 130 to suspend Vizcara´s mandate for a year on the grounds of "moral deficit" and delegated his powers to Vice President Mercedes Arauz, a 58-year-old economist.
However, Araz resigned and stepped down as acting president, while President Vizcara is popular among the population for his anti-corruption campaign and has the support of military officials, state governors and mayors.
Supporters of the conservative Fujimori party have a majority in parliament but their support is rapidly declining in opinion polls and they therefore reject early elections.
The Constitutional Court, the country´s highest judicial body, is currently considering a request for the release of opposition leader Keiko Fujimori, daughter of former President Alberto Fujimori, who ruled between 1990 and 2000.
Fujimori has been held for 11 months as part of an investigation into a huge corruption case linked to Brazil´s Odebrecht, which tarnishes the reputation of Latin America´s political class.
