NEW INTERIOR MINISTER: APRA CONGRESSWOMAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L LIMA 000246 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/23/2019 TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR KCRM PE SUBJECT: NEW INTERIOR MINISTER: APRA CONGRESSWOMAN CABANILLAS REF: A. LIMA 115 ¶B. 08 LIMA 01659 ¶C. LIMA 182 Classified By: Ambassador P. Michael McKinley for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) Summary: Prime Minister Yehude Simon announced the resignation of Interior Minister Remegio Hernani Meloni February 19, ostensibly for "personal reasons." APRA Congresswoman Mercedes Cabanillas was sworn in as the new Interior Minister on the same day. The resignation of Hernani, who never recovered from a rocky start following his appointment last October (Ref B),was not unexpected. The politically seasoned Cabanillas has significant advantages over her predecessor, including an independent power base within the APRA, first-hand experience in the legislative and executive branches (she was Education Minister in Garcia's first government) and a close relationship with President Garcia. Cabanillas has promised a crackdown on corruption and sweeping changes in the national police (PNP). End Summary. Hernani's Ouster -------------- ¶2. (C) The resignation of Minister of Interior Gen.(r) Remegio Hernani held little surprise. In January, when Hernani was blamed for a botched January 20 operation in which two policemen were killed while evicting squatters from the Pomac reserve in the northern region of Lambayeque (Ref A),Prime Minisiter Yehude Simon told Radio Programas del Peru (RPP) that there would be Cabinet changes in mid-February. Hernani was also widely criticized for mishandling the appointment of the Director for the National Citizen Security Council and for asserting (with scant proof) that the recent attack on Attorney General Echaiz was the work of common criminals bent on robbery. ¶3. (C) By all accounts, Hernani acted more like a police chief than a cabinet Minister. In his first meeting with the Ambassador in October 2008, he said he would focus 90% of his time as Interior Minister on the PNP. He caused particular turmoil in the organization at a time of year-end promotions and transfers, and was said to have ruffled feathers within police ranks by dealing more closely with his former colleagues from the Peruvian Investigative Police (PIP) at the expense of senior police officers in other branches of the organization. The tally of sixteen policemen killed during Hernani's brief tenure also worked against him. Finally, many observers attributed Hernani's departure to his being out of his depth politically. Cabanillas: Political Heavy Hitter -------------- ¶4. (C) The politically savvy Mercedes "Meche" Cabanillas, 61, was sworn in at a quiet ceremony on February 19. She has been a rumored APRA candidate for this position for some time, and her name has also surfaced occasionally as a possible Minister of Defense. By serving as President of Defense and Security Committees in Congress, as well as President of Congress during 2006-7, she has consciously burnished her credentials for both jobs -- and possibly beyond. She is no stranger to Garcia's Cabinet and in 1987 was appointed Minister of Education (the first woman in Peru to become a Minister) during his problem-ridden first term (1985-1990). As a member of Congress since 1990, Cabanillas was one of Alberto Fujimori's fiercest opponents. She also ran as the APRA"s presidential candidate in 1995, winning four percent of the vote. ¶5. (C) The ambitious Cabanillas does not come without baggage, however. She has been indirectly linked to the ongoing "Chuponeo" eavesdropping scandal (Ref C) but publicly claimed that Business Track had only been hired to do an electronic sweep of the Congressional building while she was president. According to press reports, she has also been uncomfortably close to APRA party member German Cardenas, who has been accused of trafficking in land titles. Her political stock fell somwhat near the end of her tenure of President of Congress after the selection (by Congress) of several members of the Constitutional tribunal appeared tainted by corruption. Some of her Congressional colleagues say that her sometimes shrill tone generates resistance and detracts from her leadership potential. ¶6. (C) Still, most analysts believe that her straight-talking, no-nonsense approach is likely to instill more order and discipline in the PNP and Interior Ministry. Cabanillas has promised to crack down on corruption and to make sweeping changes in the National Police (PNP). In one of her first public acts, she met with Human Rights Ombudswoman Beatriz Merino during which they pledged to collaborate on ways to combat corruption. In a nod to the high turnover in this unstable ministerial portfolio, Cabanillas also called for a Council of former Interior Ministers from this and previous governments as a way of gathering different subject-matter experts under one roof and channeling criticism in a constructive direction. ¶7. (C) Comment: Cabanillas' appointment is a potentially shrewd move. For one, she brings political heft -- and therefore potential stability -- to the government's most challenging and volatile portfolio. As a member of the Defense Commission, she also brings strong credentials and knowledge of the issues. Not insignificantly, Cabanillas remains the last of the APRA's heavy hitters in a senior government position, following the departure of Jorge Del Castillo and Alva Castro in October 2008, coupled with Mauricio Mulder's public pledge not to seek reelection as APRA's Secretary General. This could mean she is being groomed by Garcia for bigger and better future possibilities -- or else set up to take a painful fall. The bets are on. MCKINLEY