The government of José María Balcázar He added a new Minister of State with a history of demanding food. This is the congressman Flavio Cruzspokesperson for Perú Libre, who was sworn in as Minister of Labor and Employment Promotion last Thursday, July 9, replacing Freddy Solano, just 19 days before the change of mandate.
Cruz registers a judicial process for food that began in 2001 before the First Legal Peace Court of Puno. According to the documentation reviewed by El Comercio, the pension was established through conciliation.
More than two decades after the lawsuit began, the file has continued to record acts. In September 2022, the court recorded a deposit of more than S/ 2 thousand sent from the Congress of the Republic to be delivered to the plaintiff. A year later, in October 2023, another resolution recorded a new deposit for the same amount.
Furthermore, in October 2023 the court required that Cruz’s son, having reached the age of majority, formally attend the process, appoint a lawyer and ratify the actions that were carried out by his mother on his behalf.
Recently, Balcázar swore in Congressman Jorge Marticorena (Alliance for Progress) as Minister of Education, despite admitting a food sentence. It was a demand for an increase in food.
Jorge Marticorena was sworn in this Monday as Minister of Education during a ceremony held at the Government Palace. Photo: Presidency.
Cruz is a lawyer by profession and a congressman for Puno since 2021. He serves as one of the main spokespersons for the Perulibrista party. In addition, he has maintained a constant defense of the leader of Peru Libre, Vladimir Cerronwho remains a fugitive from justice since 2023.
In July 2024 he openly acknowledged that the members of Perú Libre were protecting the fugitive Cerrón. “I believe that we all protect Dr. Vladimir Cerrón politically, we respect his strategy. He is protecting his life and his freedom,” he said in an interview with radio Exitosa.
Months later, Cruz publicly defended the candidacy of José María Balcázar for the Presidency of the Congress and, therefore, of the Republic, replacing José Jerí.
Balcázar’s nomination was questioned due to statements in which he justified child marriage.
Cruz pointed out that Balcázar’s expressions were interpreted partially and out of context. According to him, the analysis carried out by the current president responded to a comparative perspective on international legislation and did not reflect a personal position in favor of this type of unions.
Flavio Cruz ran for the first vice presidency of the Republic in 2026. He unsuccessfully joined the group headed by the fugitive Vladimir Cerrón.
Cruz has not only established himself as one of the most visible congressmen of Peru Libre. In the 2026 general elections he also joined the presidential ticket headed by Vladimir Cerrón, in which he ran for the first vice presidency of the Republic. This confirmed his political closeness with the party leader.
His predecessor in the Ministry of Labor and Employment Promotion left office on Thursday after being questioned for allegedly presenting a false certificate to be appointed head of the National Superintendency of Labor Supervision (Sunafil) in October 2023.
When consulted by El Comercio, Cruz confirmed that the process was resolved through conciliation.
“This lawsuit is real and was resolved through conciliation, and of course my parental obligations are always fulfilled,” he said.
Regarding his support for Cerrón, he said that this responds to an institutional decision, being the leader and president of Perú Libre.
“We support the president because he was and continues to be a member of my Caucus, and regarding his statements I refer to his personal responses,” he stated.
Finally, he pointed out: “That they question my appointment is legitimate because it is part of democracy and I accept them self-critically.”
