LIMA (Reuters) - Peru’s Prime Minister Cesar Villanueva will step down from his position, three government sources told Reuters on Friday, as the country’s President Martín Vizcarra looks to shake up his government and revive falling approval ratings.

Villanueva, in the position since last year and who was also Prime Minister in 2013-2014, has handed in his letter of resignation to the President, the sources added, asking not to be named because the news was not yet public.

Representatives for Villanueva and Vizcarra did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment. </s> Peru’s Prime Minister Cesar Villanueva has stepped down, the government said on Friday, amid calls for President Martin Vizcarra to shake up his government and revive falling approval ratings. Villanueva, the prime minister for the past year, handed in his letter of resignation to Vizcarra, the president’s office said in a statement, confirming media reports earlier on Friday. The statement did not say the resignation was accepted but said Vizcarra thanked Villanueva for his services.

A new prime minister has not yet been chosen but two government sources who asked not to be named told Reuters that Justice Minister Vicente Zeballos was under consideration for the position.

Vizcarra will likely make several cabinet changes to revamp his team and shore up slipping support, the

 sources said.

A survey by Datum Internacional published in local daily Peru 21 on Thursday found Vizcarra’s approval rating dropped seven percentage points from February to 56 percent. </s> LIMA (Reuters) - Peru's Prime Minister Cesar Villanueva will step down from his position, three government sources told Reuters on Friday, as the country's President Martín Vizcarra looks to shake up his government and revive falling approval ratings.

Villanueva, in the position since last year and who was also Prime Minister in 2013-2014, has handed in his letter of resignation to the President, the sources added, asking not to be named because the news was not yet public.

Representatives for Villanueva and Vizcarra did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment.

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Firstpost is now on WhatsApp. For the latest analysis, commentary and news updates, sign up for our WhatsApp services. Just go to Firstpost.com/Whatsapp and hit the Subscribe button. </s> Peru's Prime Minister Cesar Villanueva has stepped down, the government said on Friday, amid calls for President Martin Vizcarra to shake up his government and revive falling approval ratings.

Villanueva, the prime minister for the past year, handed in his letter of resignation to Vizcarra, the president's office said in a statement, confirming media reports earlier on Friday.

The statement did not say the resignation was accepted but said Vizcarra thanked Villanueva for his services.

A new prime minister has not yet been chosen but two government sources who asked not to be named told Reuters news agency that Justice Minister Vicente Zeballos was under consideration for the position.

Vizcarra will likely make several cabinet changes to revamp his team and shore up slipping support, the sources said.

A survey by Datum Internacional published in local daily Peru 21 on Thursday found Vizcarra's approval rating dropped seven percentage points from February to 56 percent.

Presidents in Peru often reshuffle the cabinet when their approval ratings fall, though all recent presidents have ended their terms widely unpopular.

Vizcarra's approval rating rose to a high of 66 percent in January after he confronted the opposition-ruled Congress and pushed for passage of measures aimed at fighting corruption which had passed easily in a national referendum in December.

In the past week, he has faced criticism that he has not done enough to tackle other problems, and for travelling to Spain and Portugal on a state visit instead of visiting regions affected by flooding and landslides.

A former vice president, Vizcarra took office a year ago to replace Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, who resigned after a corruption scandal.

Peru is the world's second-biggest copper producer and one of Latin America's most stable economies. </s> LIMA (Reuters) - Peru’s Prime Minister Cesar Villanueva has stepped down, the government said on Friday, amid calls for President Martin Vizcarra to shake up his government and revive falling approval ratings.

FILE PHOTO: Peruvian Prime Minister Cesar Villanueva leaves the Congress after asking for the approval of four anti-graft bills in Lima, Peru September 19, 2018. REUTERS/Mariana Bazo

Villanueva, the prime minister for the past year, handed in his letter of resignation to Vizcarra, the president’s office said in a statement, confirming media reports earlier on Friday. The statement did not say the resignation was accepted but said Vizcarra thanked Villanueva for his services.

A new prime minister has not yet been chosen but two government sources who asked not to be named told Reuters that Justice Minister Vicente Zeballos was under consideration for the position.

Vizcarra will likely make several cabinet changes to revamp his team and shore up slipping support, the sources said.

A survey by Datum Internacional published in local daily Peru 21 on Thursday found Vizcarra’s approval rating dropped seven percentage points from February to 56 percent.

Presidents in Peru often reshuffle the cabinet when their approval ratings fall, though all recent presidents have ended their terms widely unpopular.

Vizcarra’s approval rating rose to a high of 66 percent in January after he confronted the opposition-ruled Congress and pushed for passage of measures aimed at fighting corruption which had passed easily in a national referendum in December.

In the past week he has faced criticism that he has not done enough to tackle other problems, and for traveling to Spain and Portugal on a state visit instead of visiting regions affected by flooding and landslides.

A former vice president, Vizcarra took office a year ago to replace Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, who resigned after a graft scandal.

Peru is the world’s No.2 copper producer and one of Latin America’s most stable economies. </s> Peruvian President Martin Vizcarra has sworn in actor and former Culture Minister Salvador del Solar as his new prime minister in a cabinet reshuffle aimed at shoring up his slipping approval ratings.

The move on Monday comes days after former Prime Minister Cesar Villanueva stepped down amid calls for a government shakeup.

Vizcarra chose to keep Finance Minister Carlos Oliva and Energy and Mines Minister Francisco Ismodes in their posts but changed eight other ministers, including the production and agriculture ministers.

Del Solar, 48, has degrees in law and international relations but is best known for his roles in Spanish-language films and television series, including a turn as a priest in Netflix's drugs drama, Narcos.

He served as Peru's culture minister for about a year under former-President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, who resigned last March amid a region-wide corruption scandal.

Vizcarra, a former vice president, was sworn in as president shortly after.

Peruvian presidents often reshuffle their cabinets when approval ratings fall, though all recent presidents have ended their terms widely unpopular.

Vizcarra's approval rating rose to a high of 66 percent in January after he confronted the opposition-controlled Congress to push for anti-corruption measures, which had passed easily in a national referendum in December.

Corruption is seen as rife in Peru, where the last five former presidents have either been jailed on corruption charges or are currently under investigation for fraud.

Opposition leader Keiko Fujimori is also embroiled in an ongoing corruption investigation.

In February, Vizcarra faced criticism for travelling to Spain and Portugal on a state visit instead of visiting regions affected by flooding and landslides.

His approval rating dropped to 56 percent in March.

Despite bouts of political turmoil, Peru has been one of Latin America's most stable and fastest-growing economies this century. </s> Peruvian President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski resigned Wednesday after evidence emerged that that his allies tried to buy lawmakers' votes to avoid his impeachment, sources in the government confirmed to EFE. </s> LIMA (Reuters) - Peruvian President Martin Vizcarra swore in actor and former Culture Minister Salvador del Solar as his new prime minister on Monday in a cabinet shuffle that may help shore up his slipping approval ratings.

Vizcarra opted to keep Finance Minister Carlos Oliva and Energy and Mines Minister Francisco Ismodes in their posts, but changed eight other ministers, including the production and agriculture ministers.

No major policy changes were expected under del Solar, who has degrees in law and international relations but is best known for his starring roles in Spanish-language films.

Del Solar, 48, served as culture minister for about a year under former President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, who resigned in a graft scandal a year ago.

Vizcarra, Kuczynski’s former vice president, took office to replace Kuczynski and won broad support for pushing measures aimed at fighting corruption and taking a tougher stance with the opposition-controlled Congress.

But Vizcarra’s approval rating fell seven percentage points to 56 percent this month, according to a Datum Internacional poll last week, after reaching a high of 66 percent in January.

Presidents in Peru often reshuffle their cabinets when their approval ratings fall, though all recent presidents have ended their terms widely unpopular.

Despite occasional bouts of political turmoil, Peru has been one of Latin America’s most stable and fastest-growing economies this century. </s> Peru's president has resigned after 19 months in office. Facing allegations of corruption and vote buying, Pedro Pablo Kuczynski (koo-ZIN-ski) stepped down a day before the Peruvian congress planned to fire him.
Prime Minister of Peru Cesar Villanueva resigns after falling approval ratings.