Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
05LIMA4933
2005-11-21 17:15:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Lima
Cable title:  

BEATRIZ MERINO SWORN IN AS OMBUDSMAN

Tags:  PHUM PINR PGOV PREL PE 
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UNCLAS LIMA 004933 

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PHUM PINR PGOV PREL PE
SUBJECT: BEATRIZ MERINO SWORN IN AS OMBUDSMAN

REF: LIMA 4265

UNCLAS LIMA 004933

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PHUM PINR PGOV PREL PE
SUBJECT: BEATRIZ MERINO SWORN IN AS OMBUDSMAN

REF: LIMA 4265


1. Former Prime Minister Beatriz Merino was sworn in as the
new Public Ombudsman on 11/16. On the very day of her
swearing in, Merino demonstrated her political clout by
obtaining assurances from Prime Minister Pedro Pablo
Kuczynski to countermand proposed budget cuts that would have
forced the closure of at least nine of the Ombudsman's
regional offices. Merino replaces acting Ombudsman Walter
Alban, who had an extended four-year interim tenure due to
Congress' difficulty in settling on a permanent replacement
for Jorge Santistevan, who resigned in 2001 to run for the
presidency.


2. Merino's acceptance speech stressed her independence,
emphasizing that the Ombudsman's Office is an autonomous
agency and not subservient to the government in power. She
said that her top priorities will be promoting ethics among
public servants to combat fraud and corruption, adding that
the Ombudsman's most effective weapon is its moral authority.



3. COMMENT: Merino was a highly popular prime minister,
with 60 percent-plus approval ratings, and she was elected
Ombudsman with the strong support of all major political
parties. Educated in the U.S. and a long-time legal counsel
for Procter & Gamble, Merino has cultivated strong ties with
the Embassy, and we expect to work closely with her in
promoting human rights and democracy in her new assignment.
END COMMENT.
STRUBLE