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Alberto OtarolaPrime Minister of Peru from December 21, 2022
Date of Birth: 12.02.1967
Country:  Peru |
Content:
- Early Life and Education
- Political Career
- Drug Control Work
- Dina Boluarte Presidency
- Prime Ministership (2022-Present)
Early Life and Education
Alberto Otárola Peñaranda was born in Huaraz, Peru, on February 12, 1967. His father, Saturnino Otárola Cácares, was a Huarasino teacher and director of the Pedagogical Schools of Huari and Tingua. His mother, Olga Peñaranda Madzini, was a teacher from Chacas, whose paternal grandfather was Italian mining entrepreneur Rafael Madzini Garibaldi, a relative of Giuseppe Garibaldi.
In 1991, Otárola graduated from the Faculty of Law of the San Martín de Porres University in Lima, with a thesis on "International Human Rights Law and its Reception in the Peruvian Constitutional System." He specialized in Constitutional and Labor Law.
Political Career
Ollanta Humala PresidencyMinister of Defense (2011-2012)
On December 10, 2011, Otárola was appointed Minister of Defense in the first cabinet of President Ollanta Humala. One of the most pressing issues facing the Humala government was the presence of a terrorist group operating in the VRAEM zone, engaged in drug trafficking.
On April 9, 2012, an armed group kidnapped 36 workers from the TGP (Peruvian Gas Transportation Company) in the Kepashiato town, Echarate district, La Convención province, Cusco department. In response, the government launched "Operation Freedom," deploying a joint military and police force to the area.
According to the official account, the hostages were freed due to pressure from the armed forces (April 14). However, the operation resulted in eight deaths and several injuries; despite this, it was officially declared a "flawless operation." However, public outrage was particularly ignited by the fact that three police officers were left behind in the jungle after exiting a helicopter that was transporting them and were attacked on April 12. One, Lander Tamani, was killed in combat. The other two were reported missing. Seventeen days later, one, Luis Astuquilca, appeared alive, having made his way to the city of Quiteni despite a leg injury; while the other, César Vilca, was found dead by his father after he had made his way to a remote area on his own, with the support of locals but not the police. Despite this, the Ministry of the Interior released a statement claiming that Vilca's body had been found due to intense police searches. Public opinion reacted negatively and accused authorities of abandoning the officers; this led to calls for the resignation of Otárola and Interior Minister Daniel Lozada.
On May 3, 2012, a motion of censure against Otárola and Lozada was presented to the Plenary of Congress, accusing them of "inability, leadership deficiency, and lack of strategy." On May 10, both ministers submitted their resignations to avoid censure by Congress. Their resignations were accepted by President Humala on May 14, 2012.
Drug Control Work
From 2014 to 2016, Otárola served as Director of DEVIDA, the Peruvian government's drug control agency. In April 2016, he was also elected by the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations to serve as one of the 13 members of the International Narcotics Control Board, an independent treaty body of the United Nations. His five-year term began on March 2, 2017, and concluded on March 1, 2022.
Otárola attempted to return to politics as Ollanta Humala's second running mate and Nationalista Party candidate to Congress in the 2021 general election, though he was placed tenth on the list and did not succeed in his bid for a seat in Peru's Congress. At the time, he called for a new constitution, saying that Peru's constitution is a "Fujimorista Constitution," though he later supported the constitution while serving in the Bolúarte government.
Dina Boluarte Presidency
Minister of Defense (2022)Following the impeachment and removal of Pedro Castillo as President of Peru, Dina Boluarte appointed Otárola as Minister of Defense in her cabinet on December 10, 2022. On December 15, 2022, the Peruvian Army carried out a violent crackdown on protesters in Ayacucho, who opposed the Boluarte government. During the protests, the situation escalated when the military deployed helicopters to fire tear gas at protesters, who eventually attempted to take over the city's airport, which was defended by the Peruvian Army and the Peruvian National Police. Troops responded by opening fire on protesters with live ammunition, resulting in the deaths of ten people and injuries to 61 others; 90% of those injured had gunshot wounds, while those killed were shot in the head or torso. Forensic anthropologist Carmen Rosa Cardoza, founder of the Peruvian Forensic Anthropology Team (EPAF), analyzed the evidence surrounding those who were killed, stating that the military shot to kill and that the gunshot wounds to the head and torso were consistent with injuries sustained in human rights violations, explaining that injuries in armed conflicts are typically found on the extremities.
Sources close to President Boluarte, according to La Republica, indicated that she wanted to resign as president after the massacre, though Otárola allegedly convinced her that if she stepped down, she and other ministers would lose their immunity and potentially face charges for the killings. Otárola reportedly then promised Boluarte that he could secure her support from the Peruvian armed forces and right-wing groups, reported La Republica. Boluarte would subsequently appoint Otárola as her Prime Minister on December 21, 2022.
Prime Ministership (2022-Present)
Less than two weeks after Boluarte's inauguration, she appointed Otárola as Prime Minister on December 21, 2022, replacing Pedro Angulo Arana in the role. In the wake of the Juliaca massacre, where the Peruvian National Police killed 18 civilians and injured over 100, Otárola responded to the deaths by stating that those killed "bear direct responsibility for those who want to carry out a coup d'état in the country" and blamed detained former President Pedro Castillo for the deaths. The online media outlet Wayka criticized Otárola's response, noting that during the 2020 Peruvian protests, when two protesters were killed in Lima, Otárola had condemned the government's response, saying that "arbitrary detentions and pure, forceful repression are taking place against the legitimate protest of citizens." Peru's Attorney General Patricia Benavides announced on January 10, 2023, that she had opened an investigation against President Boluarte, along with Prime Minister Otárola, Interior Minister Victor Rojas, and Defense Minister Jorge Chavez, for alleged crimes of genocide, aggravated murder, and serious injuries.
On January 12, 2023, when the Peruvian National Police raided the National University of San Marcos, Otárola stated that the actions and the arrests of 200 people were justified as the university had requested help, though the university's rector denied any knowledge of a police operation.
