Peru PM Resigns Over Influence-Peddling Claims

Facts

• Peruvian Prime Minister Alberto Otárola resigned on Tuesday, after leaked audio recordings suggested he used his influence to help 25-year-old Yazire Pinedo, with whom he had an extramarital affair, win government contracts.¹
• Otárola, who cut short an official trip to Canada as the scandal broke out over the weekend, denies any wrongdoing and has described the recordings as 'edited.'²
• Though the audio clips are allegedly from 2021, at which time he wasn't a cabinet minister, an investigation has been launched into the allegations, as Pinedo is said to have received two contracts worth about $14K for work in the defense ministry in 2023.³
• Otárola had previously served as a chief spokesman and the face of the government in the Boluarte administration. As prime minister, he headed the president's cabinet and liaised with Congress.⁴
• On Wednesday, Pres. Dina Boluarte named Gustavo Adrianzén — the country's representative to the Organization of American States — Peru's new prime minister.⁵
• This comes after a motion to impeach Boluarte, who is scheduled to stay in office until 2026, failed to get the 40% of Congressional support needed to proceed on March 1.⁶

Sources: ¹Al Jazeera, ²Independent, ³BBC News, ⁴Time, ⁵Financial Times and ⁶Bloomberg.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by Voz Media. While investigations will reveal that this so-called scandal is just a political shenanigans from his political enemies, Otárola has decided to step down to prevent them from using these blatantly edited audio clips to undermine the Boluarte administration. His decision to prioritize stability and clarify this mess should be applauded.
• Narrative B, as provided by Jacobin. Though it took much longer than it should have, 'the Butcher' Otárola is finally gone. The fact that this long needed action was due to these allegations instead of his involvement in the Ayacucho massacre highlights the devastating state of corruption in Peru's mainstream politics. It remains to be seen whether an investigation into these matters will actually bring Otárola to justice.

Predictions