Pedro Cateriano

Cateriano was appointed Minister of Defense on 23 July 2012, under cabinet led by Juan Jiménez Mayor,[13][14] succeeding congressman José Antonio Urquizo in the position.[8] At the start of his tenure, Cateriano declared his interest in promoting of voluntary military service, although the Constitutional Court declared that the draw for military service was not unconstitutional.

On 14 July 2013, a Peruvian journalistic program revealed a telephone recording in which Cateriano tells an interlocutor that First Lady Nadine Heredia, gave him the "green light" to make some purchases for the Defense sector through the United Nations Development Programme. The dialogue revealed to the local press an alleged interference of Ollanta Humala's wife in government decisions; however, Cateriano argued that Heredia only "transmits the president's messages". An expert report from the National Police of Peru stated that the audio is inaudible in various parts and would have been edited. The Prosecutor's Office twice closed the investigations into an alleged arms purchase. The United Nations Development Programme ultimately ratified Cateriano's version.

In December 2012, the Executive Branch issued Legislative Decree 1146, which modified the Military Service Law, and established in its article 50 that "those chosen by lottery are required to appear within the indicated period" for the selection process; that those who are selected are obliged to appear within the indicated period to join the quartered service and that the draws with serious and permanent physical or mental disabilities, those deprived of their liberty, those who prove to be responsible for the maintenance of the home, the university students, who prove they are providing some voluntary service to the community and residents abroad. The Constitutional Court later ruled that the draw was not contrary to the Constitution.[15] This within the framework of the powers granted by the Legislative to the Executive to legislate in matters of Defense and Interior.

In this regard, members of the opposition harshly questioned the aforementioned decree for discriminating against the poorest and for making the Military Service "mandatory" for those who cannot pay this amount (approximately US$720).[16] Congress debated that said provision promoted by Cateriano was illegal, since being a voluntary service, a pecuniary sanction cannot be imposed on those do not wish to do so.[17][18]

On 2 April 2015, President Ollanta Humala appointed Cateriano as Prime Minister after his predecessor, Ana Jara was censured for spying against lawmakers, reporters, business leaders and other citizens.[19][20] On 27 April 2015, he and his cabinet won the congressional confidence vote. As part of the presidential transition from Humala to Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, Cateriano resigned as Prime Minister on 28 July 2016.

On 15 July 2020, President Martín Vizcarra announced the recomposition of his government amidst the criticism of Vicente Zeballos' management of the COVID-19 pandemic in Peru.[21] Cateriano accepted Vizcarra's invitation to form a new cabinet, and was sworn in as Zeballos' successor.[22][23] A few days earlier, Cateriano had resigned to the advisory body of the congressional Constitution Committee following Congress' harshly criticized amendments to the Constitution regarding immunity for public officials.[24]

Following his oath of office, Cateriano met with the congressional leaders Manuel Merino and Luis Valdez Farías, in order to request a vote of confidence for his ministerial cabinet before 28 July - a request that was not it would grant him, until 3 August - and discuss public affairs in the context of the health emergency caused by the new coronavirus.[25] On 4 August, this request was rejected with 54 votes against, 37 in favor and 34 abstentions. For this reason, with only twenty days in office, Cateriano tendered his resignation to President Martín Vizcarra.[26] He was succeeded by Walter Martos, a Peruvian Army general who had been serving as minister of defense since October 2019.

On 14 November 2022, Cateriano announced that his new political party, People's Liberty, had requested its registration as a party from the National Jury of Elections.[27] It currently has 32,464 members and 76 committees in all 25 of Peru's regions.