Mercedes Cabanillas

Mercedes Cabanillas
Member of Congress
In office 26 July 2000 – 26 July 2011
Constituency	Lima
Minister of the Interior
In office 19 February 2009 – 11 July 2009
President	Alan García
Preceded by	Remigio Hernani Meloni
Succeeded by	Octavio Salazar Miranda
President of Congress
In office 26 July 2006 – 26 July 2007
Preceded by	Marcial Ayaipoma
Succeeded by	Luis Gonzales Posada
Member of the Senate
In office 26 July 1990 – 5 April 1992
Minister of Education
In office 5 May 1990 – 28 July 1990
Preceded by	Efraín Orbegozo Rodríguez
Succeeded by	Gloria Helfer Palacios
In office 28 July 1987 – 9 August 1988
Preceded by	Grover Pango Vildoso
Succeeded by	Efraín Orbegozo Rodríguez
Member of the Chamber of Deputies
In office 26 July 1985 – 26 July 1990
Constituency	Lima
Personal details
Born	May 22, 1947 Callao
Political party	Partido Aprista Peruano
Residence	Lima
Religion	Roman Catholic
Website	Official website

Mercedes Cabanillas Bustamante (born 22 May 1947 in Callao) is a Peruvian Congresswoman of the Peruvian Aprista Party representing the Electoral District of Lima. Minister of Interior of Peru.

Early career

Her parents were Armando Cabanillas Olaechea and Emma Bustamante, both members of the Peruvian Aprista Party. She entered the Party in 1961, exercising various offices such as member of the National Command of the Youth Wing Juventud Aprista Peruana, National Secretary of Women Affairs, and in 1982, the Political Action Committee of Women.

She studied Education at the Universidad Nacional Federico Villarreal, where she graduated with a doctoral degree.

Congress and Cabinet Minister

She was elected to Congress as a Member of the Chamber of Deputies for the term 1985-1990. She entered the Government when President Alan García appointed her Minister of Education in 1987, after the resignation of the Cabinet led by Prime Minister Luis Alva Castro. At the helm, she promised to attend the demands of the teachers syndicate, SUTEP. She began with a raise of 35% for the public teachers. She visited schools in Lima and Provinces.

Surprisingly, in 1988, the Electoral Committee of the Party elected her as Candidate for Mayor of Lima. She resigned from office in August 1988 to run for the mayorship, losing to radio host Ricardo Belmont.

Senate and Presidential Candidate

After losing the Mayorship, she ran for a seat in the Senate, gaining the highest number of votes (328,714), being elected Senator for the term 1990-1995. Her office was terminated when President Alberto Fujimori dissolved Congress with his self coup in 1992.

In 1995 Cabanillas ran for the Presidency of the Republic under the Peruvian Aprista Party ticket winning only 4.11% of the popular vote. Her running mate for Vice President was Jorge Lozada Stambury, former Senator and President of the Senate.

Return to Congress and Interior Minister

In 2000, she was elected to Congress under the Peruvian Aprista Party. She was reelected in 2001 and 2006. When Alan García was elected President for the term 2006-2011, Congress appointed her President of Congress for the annual term 2006-2007.

On February 19 of 2009, President Alan García appointed her Minister of the Interior. As such she was in charge of the Police forces that were sent to the amazon region of Bagua to repress native Indians who were protesting against the government that was giving away their ancestral lands to foreign corporations for oil drilling, mining and logging. As a result of the violent intervention of the heavily armed police and military forces over 50 Indian have been killed and nearly 200 wounded. As minister of the Interior she gave the order to attack the Natives. She resigned with Prime Minister Yehude Simon on July 11.

She served in Congress until 2011, when she ran for reelection, receiving poorly a minority of votes. She is still a powerful leader in the Peruvian Aprista Party.

See also

• First Presidency of Alan García
• Second Presidency of Alan García
• American Popular Revolutionary Alliance

External links

• Official website