Cabinet still missing key figures

The recent departure of two key ministers in President Varela's cabinet has shown his resolve to keep old faces at their respective institutions.

And the health ministry (Minsa), the president has announced the designation of former vice minister Miguel Mayo as the new head of the institution. Meanwhile, at the agriculture and fisheries ministry (Mida), the former director of the agriculture and fisheries institute (IMA), Enrique Carles, will now sit in the top seat.

Other ministries have been left headless for arguably too long, including key posts at the nation’s Supreme Court.

The critically important security ministry, for instance, has been without a minister for over 1 ½ months. There had been talk of the acting minister, who is also vice minister, Alexis Bethancourt, being permanently appointed to the top position. However, nothing has come of it so far. Mr. Bethancourt was trained at a military academy in Argentina, and previously worked at the financial analysis unit (UAF).

The lack of leadership across so many key institutions has begun to worry the population. CD party member Dinoska Montalvo criticized President Varela’s leadership role: “since it has become so fashionable to have acting ministers these days, perhaps what the country needs is an acting president who actually did his job”, she quipped.