Daniel Belizario Urresti Elera (born 25 August 1956) is a Peruvian retired army general and politician who served as Minister of the Interior in the administration of President Ollanta Humala from 2014 to 2015, and as a Congressman representing Lima from 2020 to 2021.
Born in northern region of Piura, Urresti enrolled in the Chorrillos Military School, specializing in psychological operations and defense mechanisms.
After graduating with a master's degree in electronic engineering from the Federico Villarreal National University, Urresti labored in the telecommunications branch of the Peruvian Army, specializing in telematics.
During his tenure, Urresti engaged in effective homeland security measures with a very active style and constant demand for media presence, which made him the administration's main political operative and the minister with the highest approval ratings.
Although he remained popular following his resignation, Urresti was confronted with murder charges against a journalist who was investigation human rights abuses while he served in the Peruvian Army.
[7] Two years later, Urresti was selected to run for Mayor of Lima under the Podemos Perú (PP), in which he placed second, losing to Jorge Muñoz of the Popular Action.
Based on his performance at municipal level, PP selected Urresti to lead the congressional list for the Lima constituency at the 2020 snap parliamentary election.
As such, he directed constant interdiction operations and greater control of inputs used in the illegal mining, in the regions of Madre de Dios, Puno, Arequipa and others.
[16] On June 23, 2014, Urresti was sworn in as the sixth Minister of the Interior of President Ollanta Humala's administration, replacing Walter Albán, and integrating the cabinet chaired by René Cornejo (and, a month later, by Ana Jara).
He quickly stood out for his very active and talkative style, in constant demand for media presence, which made him the main political operator of the Humala administration and the minister with the most popular support in the national polls.
Another incident occurred in Pichanaki (Junín), where, during a protest organized by the Environmental Defense Front, a wave of violence was unleashed in which a young student Ever Pérez Huamán lost his life, as a result of a gun shot by fire.
On February 17, 2015, the cabinet was renewed and Urresti left the Interior portfolio to José Luis Pérez Guadalupe, until then head of the National Penitentiary Institute.
On December 13, 2015, Urresti announced his candidacy for the presidential nomination of Peruvian Nationalist Party, ensuring that he had as a starting point of 2% at national-level polls.
Seven days later, Urresti was proclaimed the Nationalist nominee, alongside former Mayor of Lima, Susana Villarán and former governor of Huancavelica, Maciste Díaz, as his running mates.
On March 11, 2016, the Nationalist ticket was withdrawn by the National Executive Committee led by First Lady of Peru, Nadine Heredia, alongside the congressional lists.
Podemos Perú selected Urresti, who had been serving as Security Manager of Los Olivos District Municipality, as the head of the congressional list for the Lima constituency.
[38] Daniel Urresti is accused of having ordered the murder of journalist Hugo Bustíos in 1988, when he was a captain in the army and head of intelligence in an anti-subversive barracks in Ayacucho.
[15] The incident occurred when the two journalists were heading towards the home of a family killed by Shining Path, being ambushed and attacked by members of the Peruvian Army from the Castropampa Military Base, presumably under the command of Captain Arturo.
In June 2013, a judge from Ayacucho opened a new process, but this time accusing Urresti of being the mediate perpetrator, that is, for having ordered the murder of Bustíos (intellectual authorship).
Vidal's testimony was supported by that of the logistics officer EP (r) Edgardo Montoya Contreras, who indicated that Urresti left with a patrol of soldiers in civilian clothes to the area where Bustíos was killed.