TWO MINISTRIES QUIETLY SHUFFLED

C O N F I D E N T I A L LIMA 001868 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/03/2018 TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR PE SUBJECT: TWO MINISTRIES QUIETLY SHUFFLED REF: LIMA 01659 Classified By: Charge d'Affaires, a.i., James D. Nealon for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) In a low-key November 29 ceremony, President Garcia made two quiet changes to his new cabinet. Enrique Cornejo shifted from his position as Minister of Housing, Construction and Sanitation to take over Veronica Zavala's portfolio in the Ministry of Transportation and Communications. (A respected technocrat, Zavala reportedly resigned to pursue private interests.) And Nidia Vilchez, an APRA congresswoman, was sworn in as the new Minister of Housing, Construction and Sanitation. (A brief biography of Minister Vilchez follows in para 3.) ¶2. (C) Pundits noted that the mini-shuffle resulted in the ruling APRA-party gaining one more cabinet position and restoring some of the clout lost in the October dissolution of the Del Castillo cabinet and establishment of its successor, led by PM Yehude Simon. Simon denied that the cabinet moves implied any sort of an "APRA quota" and maintained that they reflected his earlier promise to make gradual changes to his team. Some opposition figures reacted critically to the new appointments, observing that Cornejo had recently been the object of a congressional hearing over questionable land deals, and asserting that Vilchez was unqualified to head a problem-riddled Ministry which handles large amounts of funds. According to news reports, the November 29 ceremony, which took place at the National Palace, was packed with APRA supporters. ¶3. (SBU) Biography of the New Minister of Housing, Construction and Sanitation: Nidia Ruth VILCHEZ Yucra was elected Congresswoman for Junin Region for the 2006-2011 term. She belongs to the Peruvian American Popular Revolutionary Alliance (APRA) party. She has fourteen years of experience in the public sector and seven years of private sector experience. She holds an undergraduate degree in accounting from Villareal University and an MBA from the Catholic University. Vilchez has intermittently served as a financial consultant for various organizations including the Inter-American Development Bank, the Friedrich Ebert Foundation and PROGESTION. NEALON