He went to the offices of the Nationalist Party (PNP) on 22 October to register himself as a member and emerged a few moments later as its presidential candidate. Behind all the rhetoric about the desire for transparency and democratic candidate selection in Peru’s political parties, the current ruling party is hardly setting the best example.

Von Hesse’s designation as ‘pre-candidate’ comes with the stamp of approval from on high. He is supported by Nadine Heredia, the first lady and the PNP president. He is also approved of by Ana Jara, the prime minister up until July 2014. He will seek to emphasise the achievements of the Humala administration in social policy with which Heredia has sought to identify herself.

His acceptance followed hard on the heels of the announcement, a day previously, by Daniel Urresti that he would no longer pursue his attempt to become the PNP candidate. Urresti, who enjoys the backing of neither Heredia or Jara, is the subject of an ongoing investigation. This is into the role he played (or not) in the murder of Hugo Bustíos, the investigative journalist from the weekly Caretas news magazine who was reporting on human rights violations in Huanta, Ayacucho in November 1988. Urresti was a military commander in Huanta at the time.

Milton Von Hesse has been one of Humala’s more successful ministers. In 2012, he was appointed minister of agriculture as a member of the cabinet led by Prime Minister Juan Jiménez Mayor. In 2014, he was moved to head the ministry of housing. Echoing the title of a book written by former finance minister Javier Silva Ruete referring to the military government (1968-80), Von Hesse said: “As candidate for the ruling party, I take on both the enormous assets and liabilities” (“Yo, como candidato del partido de gobierno, recibo unos pasivos y unos activos que son enormes”). http://peru21.pe/politica/milton-von-hesse-asumo-activo-y-pasivo-gestion-ollanta-humala-2230406