Peru's new prime minister, Mirta Vasquez, says redrafting the country's market constitution is not currently a priority for the government, although it is a key campaign commitment.
"at present, the government has not proposed to amend the constitution, nor will it do so overnight," Vasquez said on Friday. "the most important thing now is to deal with the pandemic, especially to create economic stability."
Vasquez, a former president of Congress, is the second person to become prime minister under President Pedro Castillo, who has been in office for only two months.
She is a left-wing politician but is considered more moderate than her predecessor who resigned earlier this week. Nor does Vasquez belong to the Marxist-Leninist Liberal Peruvian Party to which Castillo belongs.
Her comments will further reassure investors spooked by Castillo's campaign promise to redraft Peru's pro-market constitution.
She also shows that the Castillo government is moving away from the more left-wing ideas supported by the Liberal Peruvian Party, which believes that constitutional changes may be its most important proposal.
Peru's currency and stock exchanges rose after Vazquez was appointed prime minister.
Vladimir Theron, chairman of the Free Peruvian Party, said on Twitter earlier Friday that he was not satisfied with the new cabinet because, in his view, it "will be a space to defend the status quo."
Vasquez is a lawyer who has clashed with large mining companies on behalf of indigenous communities, including a landmark case against Newmont's Yanakocha gold mine.
However, she said the Castillo government would support mining, the main source of tax revenue in the country, the world's second-largest copper producer.
"one of our most important bets is the use of resources and activities such as mining," she said. "
