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| Mr Jimenez (right) will be Peru's third prime minister in a year |
Peru's
President Ollanta Humala, facing simmering environmental and social conflicts,
has reshuffled his cabinet in a widely expected move.
Human
rights lawyer and former Justice Minister Juan Jimenez replaces Oscar Valdes as
prime minister.
Mr Valdes,
a former army officer, had faced criticism for his crackdown on protesters
opposed to a huge gold mine.
Clashes
over the US-financed Conga project flared again earlier this month, leaving
five people dead.
Mr Jimenez
is the third prime minister appointed by President Humala, who completes his
first year in office on 28 July.
The
previous prime minister, Mr Valdes, had been brought in late last year to
pursue a tougher line amid continuing disputes over natural resources.
The Conga
gold mine in Cajamarca, financed by American firm Newmont, represents Peru's
biggest foreign investment project. Protesters region say it will destroy water
supplies.
Key figures
"This
will be a cabinet of dialogue," Mr Jimenez said.
"We
will move closer to the people. We will readdress the issue of social conflicts
in Peru."
The BBC's
Mattia Cabitza, in Cajamarca, says that as a civilian with a human rights
background, Mr Jimenez is viewed as a better choice to head a growingly
unpopular government which has overseen several states of emergency.
But Mr
Jimenez's appointment may not by itself quell the unrest.
He backed
the president's decision to suspend civil liberties and declare a state of
emergency in three provinces in the area where protests took place.
Mr
Jimenez's appointment was part of a broader reshuffle with six new members to a
19-member cabinet.
Two key
figures, Finance Minister Luis Miguel Castilla and Mines and Energy Minister
Jorge Merino, kept their posts.
Mr Humala's
approval rating has fallen to a new low of some 40%.
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