BUENOS AIRES (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 16th July, 2020) The president of Peru Martin Vizcarra has sworn in the country's new Cabinet of Ministers, which will be headed by the new prime minister, Pedro Cateriano, according to a statement released by the government on Wednesday, as the South American country looks to recover from one of the world's most severe outbreaks of COVID-19.
"The president took the oath of Pedro Cateriano as the new head of the Council of Ministers," the statement read.
Cateriano was previously the head of the Council of Ministers, a position that is also referred to in the South American country as the prime minister, from 2015 to 2016. He has also served as the country's minister of defense.
As part of a broad cabinet reshuffle, Mario Lopez has become the new Peruvian minister of foreign affairs, and Jorge Montoya will serve as the country's new minister of the interior. At least ten other ministers were also sworn in during the ceremony in Lima.
Cateriano replaces outgoing prime minister Vicente Zeballos, who began his term in office this past September.
The cabinet reshuffle has taken place as Peru looks to continue battling the coronavirus disease outbreak. As of Wednesday, the Peruvian Ministry of Health has registered 337,724 cases of the disease, the second most of any Latin American country.
Public health officials registered a single-day rise of more than 3,800 positive tests on Wednesday.
