Peru President taps Waldir Ayasta as minister of energy and mines

LIMA, March 23 (Reuters) – Peruvian President Jose Maria Balcazar on Monday appointed Waldir Ayasta as the country’s new Minister of Energy and Mines following the resignation on Sunday of predecessor Angelo Alfaro after he was accused of raping a minor in the year 2000.

Ayasta was sworn in by the president at the Government Palace in Lima and takes over the leadership of the Andean nation’s most critical economic sector. Mining accounts for approximately 60% of Peru’s exports, and the country is the world’s third-largest copper producer.

Alfaro, 72, has denied wrongdoing but did not contest the claim that the minor was 16 at the time of the alleged incident.

He was appointed on February 24 shortly after Balcazar took office as the Andean nation’s eighth president in as many years, continuing a revolving door of leaders amid the South American country’s unpopular political class.

More than half of Peru’s lawmakers have been the subject of criminal investigations.

Balcazar, 83, himself faced criticisms after his appointment over comments he made in defense of child marriage, from which he has not backed down. In 2023, he was one of three lawmakers who abstained from a vote to ban marriage with underage girls. 

Balcazar’s Prime Minister Denisse Miralles resigned on March 17, triggering a cabinet reshuffle a month into his presidency and less than a month ahead of the April 12 general election.

The presidential race is deeply fragmented, with a large part of the electorate still undecided. Balcazar is set to hand over power to a new president on July 28.

(Reporting by Marco Aquino; Editing by Sarah Morland and Iñigo Alexander)