Peruvian President Alan Garcia on Saturday announced a cabinet shakeup, naming Javier Velasquez, head of Congress, as the president of the council of ministers (prime minister).

Seven new ministers were also named by Garcia. Former National Police chief Octavio Salazar was appointed as interior minister, and ex-cabinet minister Rafael Rey as defense minister.

Other new ministers include Justice Minister Aurelio Pastor, Agriculture Minister Adolfo de Cordova, Labor Minister Manuela Garcia, Minister of Foreign Trade and Tourism Martin Perez and Production Minister Mercedes Araoz.

The new cabinet members were sworn in at the presidential palace on Saturday.

The shakeup was the largest cabinet reshuffle since Garcia took office in July 2006.

On June 19, former Prime Minister Yehude Simon, who had been heavily criticized for his handling of a stand-off with Amazon tribesmen over land and resources, said the president would decide whether to shake up the cabinet.

On June 5, at least 34 people died and dozens were injured in police raids to break indigenous protestors' blockades of roads and rivers in the rain forest that started in April. Since then, opposition parties have demanded that Simon step down.

(Xinhua News Agency July 12, 2009)