Peru Political Turmoil Continues as Prime Minister Aníbal Torres Resigns

Peru is facing even more political uncertainty amid the myriad of criminal investigations against President Pedro Castillo. Now, things are looking even more uncertain as Prime Minister Aníbal Torres wrote a letter to the president and announced his resignation. In his letter, he said that he is resigning for "personal reasons."

Torres previously served as the minister of justice and is actually Castillo's fourth prime minister. He took the post last February. However, his resignation is not yet official as the president still has to accept it. So far, President Castillo has not yet commented on whether he will reject or accept Torres's resignation.

Torres had been a very vocal supporter of Castillo amid all the corruption scandals the president has been embroiled in. CNN reported that the prime minister wished "his friend" President Castillo all the success. He lasted only six months as the prime minister. He defended Castillo and said that those attacking him were under right-wing elites.

Aníbal Torres Resignation to Force a Cabinet Reshuffle

If Castillo accepts his resignation, this will ultimately lead to another cabinet reshuffle. However, as Bloomberg pointed out, with all the corruption scandals currently happening in Peru, many had been expecting a cabinet reshuffle anyway.

Castillo had been repeatedly shuffling his cabinet recently, and many were already expecting another one to happen, whether or not the current prime minister resigned. Many of the reshuffles were made to appease the socialist members of his Peru Libre party while still maintaining a working relationship with congress.

Torres became Castillo's fourth and longest-serving prime minister after former Prime Minister Hector Valer stepped down while he was facing domestic violence allegations. Valer was only in office for four days before he resigned. He denied all the allegations against him.

President Pedro Castillo Also Facing Calls to Resign

President Castillo was a former teacher in rural Peru. However, he shocked the world by winning the top seat in the land and defeating many of Peru's political elite. He campaigned on a platform to improve education, health care, and other services, according to the Associated Press. However, his presidency has been marked by constant turmoil, and he is just in his first year of office.

Castillo survived two impeachment attempts in his first year of office. He is currently facing five different investigations, including an investigation into whether he plagiarized his thesis for his Master's degree. The four other charges are looking into various corruption allegations against him.

Castillo talked about his allegations on a speech during Peru's National Day on July 28. He admitted that he had made mistakes and announced he was willing to cooperate with any investigation.

Many of his close friends, family members, and allies are also under investigation. He currently has a 71% dissatisfaction rating.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Peruvian protesters call for President Castillo's resignation - Al Jazeera English