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Alberto Otárola has announced his resignation

Photo: Cris Bouroncle / REUTERS

Peruvian Prime Minister Alberto Otárola has tendered his resignation.

It's the reaction to an audio recording that surfaced over the weekend: In it, he appears to be using his position of power to harass a young woman.

As the Spanish newspaper "El País" reports, Otárola confesses his love to a 25-year-old in the recorded conversation and asks her to give him her CV.

He “adores her,” he says, repeatedly asks when he can see her – and promises her a “very nice, very comfortable” job.

On the tape, the young woman appears uncomfortable, she answers evasively and one gets the impression that she feels harassed, according to “El País”.

A Peruvian television channel had revealed that the woman was in his office in December 2022, when Otárola was defense minister.

Two months later, she received two honorary payments from the Ministry of Defense - and was offered a job via email and asked her salary expectations.

The young woman rejected the offer.

There is a second audio recording in which she can be heard complaining that Otárola was using state money to stalk her: “He wanted to see who I was going out with, who I was arriving with.

That’s why he wanted me to work with him so badly.”

Manipulated by political opponents?

Otárola told Peruvian media that the recording had been manipulated by political opponents.

The recorded conversation took place in 2021, when he was not yet a government official.

He denies having committed a crime.

The young woman spoke on Peruvian television.

She also said that the recording was from 2021: »In reality it is not an audio recording, but a video.

The audio is completely wrong, I assure you.

It’s been edited.” She speaks of a political plot.

The entire cabinet must resign

According to Peruvian law, the other 18 cabinet members must now also resign.

President Dina Boluarte has the choice of reinstating any cabinet member or replacing them with a new minister.

Cabinet reshuffles have become common in Peru.

Just last month, Boluarte reshuffled her cabinet and replaced four ministers, including the heads of economics and mining.

Peru has been rocked by nationwide unrest since the ouster and arrest of leftist President Pedro Castillo on December 7.

The demonstrators are demanding the resignation of his successor Dina Boluarte.

They also demand that parliament be dissolved and that new elections be held immediately.

At the end of last year, Congress cleared the way for this.

However, the early elections are not scheduled to take place until 2024.

vet/Reuters