A new entanglement in the Government of Peru has resulted in the resignation of a minister, the fifth in just four months in office. The defense minister submitted his resignation after senior officials of the Peruvian armed forces revealed that Walter Ayala pressured them to promote five military personnel close to President Pedro Castillo. It is the first case of clear plugging with which the president is directly linked. The scandal has affected him in such a way that this Monday, even before Ayala presented his resignation, Castillo had asked him to leave to settle the crisis.
The story began when two soldiers were forced to withdraw last Friday, suddenly. They were the general commander of the Army José Vizcarra and the general commander of the Air Force Jorge Chaparro. Then, the rumor arose that they had been removed for refusing to promote generals who did not have the merits, pressured by people from the Government. Vizcarra confirmed the reason on the station Radio programs: “I did receive some requests that were made known to me before the process through Secretary Bruno Pacheco, the Defense Minister and messages from the Defense Minister’s aide-de-camp. There were several recommended and to varying degrees “. According to the newspaper The Republic, the Secretary General of the Presidency and Minister Ayala interceded so that the officers close to Castillo were promoted to generals in the Army and the Air Force.
The Armed Forces have lobbied in recent days to claim the minister’s head. The joint command released a video in which he pointed out that one of the most important values among the military was “respect.” A clear allusion to what had happened. The parliamentary benches collected signatures to question Ayala for the intrusion and eventually censor him. In addition, the Defense Commission of the Congress summoned the two military personnel who were retired and asked them about the pressure they had received.
While Vizcarra was being interviewed on the radio, Chaparro denounced in public and in front of the Minister of Defense, the “interference of external agents to the institution” in the promotion process. It happened during the handover ceremony at the Las Palmas air base, south of Lima. The military and fighter pilot claimed that there was “no valid reason” for his retirement after 41 years of service. “Honor and dignity have faded over time. A general and two colonels wanted to influence the promotion process. We are few and we know each other, a group of officials has wanted to influence the renovations, we also know them. It is time to regain honor and dignity, ”he exclaimed before an audience of officers, military attachés, technicians, civilian personnel and family members.
Chaparro exhorted the officers who took the post in the Air Force to defend the institutionality, “bearing in mind that it is above any personal appetite.” In the afternoon, given the umpteenth political crisis in just over 103 days in office, Ayala said that he was evaluating his resignation because the political noise was affecting “even the president.” The official denied that he had interceded on behalf of third parties and questioned that the military leaders had not previously reported on the alleged pressure. But she also tried an explanation with macho overtones: “It is like a woman… like a married couple who have been together and when they separate they go out to talk about things that are not. They make so strong accusations that I feel responsible ”.
Minutes before eight o’clock at night, Ayala announced his resignation. “I place my position at the disposal of the President of the Republic and Supreme Chief of the Armed Forces, thanking my country and fulfilling my duty to the country. Do not use pretexts against democracy, ”he wrote on Twitter. Last week the Interior Minister resigned for organizing a Halloween party at his house, when he himself had asked the population not to do it because of the Covid.
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