By JUAN FORERO
 
OGOTÁ, Colombia, Feb. 11 — Peru's president, Alejandro Toledo, is locked in the most serious crisis of his 30-month presidency, with his cabinet in turmoil and calls for his resignation growing.

In a signal of the depth of his problems, El Comercio, Peru's leading newspaper, printed a front-page editorial on Wednesday saying bluntly that Mr. Toledo would only manage to serve out his five-year term if he ceded his political authority to a new prime minister and an independent cabinet with broadened powers.

The country is "on the brink of collapse," the paper said, calling on Mr. Toledo to "understand today that what needs to be done is not simply changing ministers to provide oxygen" to the administration.

Four ministers have been forced to resign since November amid questions of nepotism and ethical lapses. Mr. Toledo, who was elected as a reformer who intended to strengthen institutions debilitated under the iron rule of President Alberto Fujimori, has been harshly criticized himself since accusations surfaced in January that a former adviser conspired with an army general on how to bribe judges investigating corruption.

Political opponents and the news media have vigorously portrayed Mr. Toledo as disorganized and indecisive. Many Peruvians also believe that their lives have failed to improve under Mr. Toledo, though the economy has grown steadily.

His popularity rating, 7.3 percent, is now the lowest among the leaders of major Latin American countries.

Mr. Toledo has tried to defuse political turmoil by reorganizing his cabinet three times since 2002. On Monday, his government announced it would do so again, this time seeking ministers from parties other than his own Peru Possible. It was unclear what would happen with the current prime minister, Carlos Ferrero, who was named in December.

But the leading opposition party, the American Popular Revolutionary Alliance, has said it will not participate. Other politicians have also suggested their parties would not support Mr. Toledo unless he gave more power to the prime minister and other new cabinet members.

Rolando Breña, a leader of the New Left Movement party, told El Comercio in a roundtable discussion published Wednesday that Peru's long-standing political troubles had been "aggravated by Toledo."

"A new republic has to be built," he added.

Mr. Toledo's latest slide began in November when Raul Diez Canseco, the trade and tourism minister, resigned after being accused of providing tax breaks and jobs for his young girlfriend and her relatives.

In December, the highly regarded prime minister, Beatriz Merino, stepped down in the midst of a scandal. In January, Mr. Diez Canseco resigned from his other post as one of Peru's two vice presidents.

Then came the accusations that an aide, César Almeyda, had conspired with General Oscar Villanueva in 2001, which damaged Mr. Toledo's reputation as a corruption fighter.

The general, who committed suicide in 2002, was accused of handling money for Vladimiro Montesinos, the disgraced former spy chief under Mr. Fujimori. Many Peruvians believe that Mr. Toledo knew about negotiations that prosecutors say occurred between the two.