Peru's new President Keiko Fujimori has assembled a 19-minister cabinet that includes only two women and reflects a conservative ideological agenda alongside rewards for party loyalists, according to a detailed review of the appointments.
The two female ministers are María Seminario, named to lead the Ministry of Women and Vulnerable Populations, who comes from a pro-life and pro-family background associated with Opus Dei and has solid public management credentials; and Maritza Canales, head of the Ministry of Social Development and Inclusion, an agronomist and food security expert who previously advised Fuerza Popular congressman Miki Torres in 2016.
A cultural battle framing
A unifying theme across several appointments is what the analysis describes as a cultural battle against the left. Fuerza Popular has drawn on a rightist reading of the concept of cultural hegemony, placing José Antonio Chang, a former prime minister under Alan García and rector of San Martín de Porres University, at the Education Ministry in what is read as an effort to challenge what the party sees as the left's hold over academic institutions.
Chang reportedly recommended Ernesto Álvarez, dean of the law faculty at the same university, as Justice Minister. Álvarez had previously been appointed prime minister by José Jerí in 2025. On July 28, Argentine President Javier Milei, who attended the inauguration, received an honorary doctorate from San Martín de Porres University.
Alberto Beingolea, a former presidential candidate, was named Culture Minister despite having no background in the sector. Government sources indicate that Prime Minister Luis Galarreta placed him in the role, judging that Beingolea could manage public affairs and counter what party figures regard as a leftist orientation within the ministry. The two men forged ties during their shared time in the PPC party.
Defense and security
Rafael Belaunde Llosa, another former presidential candidate, had been publicly discussed for the Energy and Mines post before that went to Guillermo Shinno, a career figure in both the public and private mining sectors who carries the backing of formal mining companies. Belaunde then took the Defense portfolio.
According to government sources, his appointment followed an early meeting with Keiko in which he laid out detailed, first-hand information on military logistical resources rendered unusable for El Niño emergency response and outlined steps to address the problem. His potential role coordinating the government's El Niño response was seen as likely, possibly alongside Agriculture Minister Marco Vinelli. Pablo Cateriano, a former Defense Minister and leader of Belaunde's Libertad Popular party, said Belaunde made the decision to support Fujimori unilaterally and that the party subsequently granted him a leave of absence.
César Astudillo, a sitting senator, retired army general and former Commander General of the Armed Forces, was named Interior Minister, in line with a presidential address that stressed military leadership in the fight against organised crime. The Council of Ministers approved a request for legislative authority on security matters the same week.
Party rewards
Fuerza Popular reserved several portfolios for its own figures. Galarreta, a senior party leader, became Prime Minister. Elmer Cuba, close to the party but not an activist, took the Economy Ministry. Rafael Rey, an Opus Dei devotee and former Fuerza Popular vice-presidential candidate, was given the Transport Ministry, which carries the largest investment budget in government, and is seen by business sectors as a check on corruption and poor planning in the sector.
The Health Ministry went to Luis Dyer, who has no medical or health background but is celebrated within Fuerza Popular for running what is described as the most extensive vote-monitoring campaign in the party's electoral history. The Housing Ministry went to Mauricio Arnillas, a party member with leadership roles in Fuerza Popular's Arequipa branch, giving the otherwise Lima-heavy cabinet a southern regional presence. Rogers Valencia, who previously managed the tourism and culture portfolios under Martín Vizcarra and has ties to former Fuerza Popular secretary general José Chlimper, took the Commerce and Tourism Ministry.
For the Foreign Ministry, government sources said Keiko had sought Álvaro Vargas Llosa, son of novelist Mario Vargas Llosa, who had publicly backed her in 2021. Vargas Llosa reportedly declined and recommended his close friend Carlos Espá. Espá studied at the Diplomatic Academy but did not pursue a diplomatic career. On July 28, Vargas Llosa published a lengthy post defending the appointment.
Juan Sheput, who has held the Labour Ministry in two previous governments and is a prominent media commentator, also joined the cabinet. The analysis notes that a male chorus of former presidential candidates, political operators and allied technocrats now surrounds the first woman to be elected president of Peru.
