Peruportal |
In Peru, the people directly elect a head of state (the president) as well as a legislature. The president is elected by the people for a five-year term. The unicameral Congress (Congreso) has 130 members, also elected for a five-year term by proportional representation. Peru has a multi-party system, which effectively bars one party from becoming the sole influence in a decision-making process. As such, parties must work with one another to form coalition governments. The whole election process is held by the National Jury of Elections and the National Office of Electoral Processes. Peru has compulsory voting. [1] [2]
Position | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Type | Presidential (April & June) National Congress (April) Gubernatorial (April & June) | None | Presidential (April & June) National Congress (April) Gubernatorial (April & June) | |||
President and vice president | President and vice president | None | President and vice president | |||
National Congress | All seats | None | All seats | |||
Provinces, cities and municipalities | All positions | None | All positions |
Position | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Type | Presidential (May) National Congress (May) Gubernatorial (May) | None | Presidential (May) National Congress (May) Gubernatorial (May) | |||
President and vice president | 28 July | None | 28 July | |||
National Congress | 28 July | None | 28 July | |||
Provinces, cities and municipalities | 28 July | None | 28 July |
The first round was held on 11 April. [3] [4] The first exit polls published indicated that underdog nominee Pedro Castillo of Free Peru had placed first in the first round of voting with approximately 16.1% of the vote, with Hernando de Soto and Keiko Fujimori tying with 11.9% each. [4] Yonhy Lescano, Rafael López Aliaga, Verónika Mendoza, and George Forsyth followed, with each receiving 11.0%, 10.5%, 8.8%, and 6.4%, respectively. [4] César Acuña and Daniel Urresti received 5.8% and 5.0%, respectively, while the rest of the nominees attained less than 3% of the popular vote. [5] [6]
In the second round, Castillo defeated Fujimori by just 44,263 votes, winning by 50.13% to 49.87%. Castillo was officially designated as president-elect of Peru on 19 July 2021, a little over a week before he was to be inaugurated. [7]
Candidate | Party | First round | Second round | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Votes | % | Votes | % | |||
Pedro Castillo | Free Peru | 2,724,752 | 18.92 | 8,836,380 | 50.13 | |
Keiko Fujimori | Popular Force | 1,930,762 | 13.41 | 8,792,117 | 49.87 | |
Rafael López Aliaga | Popular Renewal | 1,692,279 | 11.75 | |||
Hernando de Soto | Go on Country – Social Integration Party | 1,674,201 | 11.63 | |||
Yonhy Lescano | Popular Action | 1,306,288 | 9.07 | |||
Verónika Mendoza | Together for Peru | 1,132,577 | 7.86 | |||
César Acuña | Alliance for Progress | 867,025 | 6.02 | |||
George Forsyth | National Victory | 814,516 | 5.66 | |||
Daniel Urresti | Podemos Perú | 812,721 | 5.64 | |||
Julio Guzmán | Purple Party | 325,608 | 2.26 | |||
Alberto Beingolea | Christian People's Party | 286,447 | 1.99 | |||
Daniel Salaverry | We Are Peru | 240,234 | 1.67 | |||
Ollanta Humala | Peruvian Nationalist Party | 230,831 | 1.60 | |||
José Vega | Union for Peru | 101,267 | 0.70 | |||
Ciro Gálvez | National United Renaissance | 89,376 | 0.62 | |||
Marco Arana | Broad Front | 65,300 | 0.45 | |||
Rafael Santos | Peru Secure Homeland | 55,644 | 0.39 | |||
Andrés Alcántara | Direct Democracy | 50,802 | 0.35 | |||
Total | 14,400,630 | 100.00 | 17,628,497 | 100.00 | ||
Valid votes | 14,400,630 | 81.30 | 17,628,497 | 93.49 | ||
Invalid votes | 1,123,027 | 6.34 | 1,106,816 | 5.87 | ||
Blank votes | 2,190,059 | 12.36 | 121,489 | 0.64 | ||
Total votes | 17,713,716 | 100.00 | 18,856,802 | 100.00 | ||
Registered voters/turnout | 25,287,954 | 70.05 | 25,287,954 | 74.57 | ||
Source: ONPE, ONPE |
Department | Castillo Free Peru | Fujimori Popular Force | López Aliaga Popular Renewal | De Soto Go on Country | Lescano Popular Action | Mendoza Together for Peru | Other candidates | Valid votes | Turnout | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Votes | % | Votes | % | Votes | % | Votes | % | Votes | % | Votes | % | Votes | % | |||
Amazonas | 34,411 | 26.1% | 17,805 | 13.5% | 8,269 | 6.3% | 4,433 | 3.4% | 12,698 | 9.6% | 8,887 | 6.7% | 45,557 | 34.5% | 132,060 | 60.1% |
Ancash | 110,620 | 23.4% | 67,394 | 14.3% | 42,312 | 9.0% | 34,562 | 7.3% | 38,911 | 8.2% | 39,786 | 8.4% | 138,200 | 29.3% | 471,785 | 69.3% |
Apurimac | 88,812 | 53.4% | 10,879 | 6.5% | 7,768 | 4.7% | 6,531 | 3.9% | 15,649 | 9.4% | 15,368 | 9.2% | 21,179 | 12.7% | 166,186 | 69.4% |
Arequipa | 256,224 | 32.2% | 40,216 | 5.1% | 71,053 | 8.9% | 148,793 | 18.7% | 88,708 | 11.1% | 55,269 | 6.9% | 135,448 | 17.0% | 795,711 | 78.8% |
Ayacucho | 130,224 | 52.0% | 17,751 | 7.1% | 11,490 | 4.6% | 8,995 | 3.6% | 20,315 | 8.1% | 24,506 | 9.8% | 37,269 | 14.9% | 250,550 | 68.6% |
Cajamarca | 232,418 | 44.9% | 54,962 | 10.6% | 31,129 | 6.0% | 25,156 | 4.9% | 38,677 | 7.5% | 29,746 | 5.7% | 105,374 | 20.4% | 517,462 | 62.6% |
Callao | 33,750 | 6.4% | 79,699 | 15.2% | 78,066 | 14.9% | 78,920 | 15.0% | 34,965 | 6.7% | 38,233 | 7.3% | 181,634 | 34.6% | 525,267 | 75.2% |
Cusco | 232,178 | 38.2% | 27,132 | 4.5% | 29,618 | 4.9% | 40,423 | 6.6% | 60,659 | 10.0% | 123,397 | 20.3% | 94,626 | 15.6% | 608,033 | 73.5% |
Huancavelica | 79,895 | 54.2% | 8,449 | 5.7% | 5,060 | 3.4% | 4,591 | 3.1% | 16,727 | 11.3% | 10,091 | 6.8% | 22,574 | 15.3% | 147,387 | 67.6% |
Huanuco | 110,978 | 37.6% | 32,827 | 11.1% | 33,787 | 11.4% | 15,822 | 5.4% | 22,565 | 7.6% | 15,556 | 5.3% | 63,688 | 21.6% | 295,223 | 68.3% |
Ica | 56,597 | 14.0% | 62,055 | 15.3% | 46,098 | 11.4% | 39,929 | 9.8% | 39,461 | 9.7% | 30,602 | 7.5% | 130,887 | 32.3% | 405,629 | 76.0% |
Junin | 131,438 | 22.9% | 80,057 | 13.9% | 52,599 | 9.2% | 54,124 | 9.4% | 66,214 | 11.5% | 52,270 | 9.1% | 137,396 | 23.9% | 574,098 | 71.9% |
La Libertad | 90,078 | 11.5% | 131,441 | 16.8% | 95,765 | 12.2% | 84,444 | 10.8% | 47,218 | 6.0% | 37,372 | 4.8% | 296,598 | 37.9% | 782,916 | 68.9% |
Lambayeque | 73,279 | 12.9% | 121,263 | 21.4% | 86,126 | 15.2% | 50,087 | 8.8% | 51,467 | 9.1% | 28,866 | 5.1% | 155,480 | 27.4% | 566,568 | 71.4% |
Lima | 416,537 | 7.8% | 753,785 | 14.2% | 869,950 | 16.4% | 870,582 | 16.4% | 362,668 | 6.8% | 431,425 | 8.1% | 1,602,623 | 30.2% | 5,307,570 | 74.6% |
Loreto | 15,432 | 4.9% | 51,900 | 16.6% | 16,378 | 5.3% | 18,816 | 6.0% | 34,773 | 11.2% | 19,502 | 6.3% | 155,025 | 49.7% | 311,826 | 61.0% |
Madre de Dios | 23,945 | 37.1% | 7,278 | 11.3% | 4,041 | 6.3% | 3,996 | 6.2% | 6,601 | 10.2% | 4,372 | 6.8% | 14,341 | 22.2% | 64,574 | 71.1% |
Moquegua | 33,665 | 34.4% | 4,617 | 4.7% | 6,832 | 7.0% | 10,183 | 10.4% | 15,412 | 15.7% | 7,190 | 7.3% | 20,027 | 20.5% | 97,926 | 77.2% |
Pasco | 34,187 | 34.2% | 12,607 | 12.6% | 8,009 | 8.0% | 5,102 | 5.1% | 11,871 | 11.9% | 6,896 | 6.9% | 21,324 | 21.3% | 99,996 | 63.6% |
Piura | 70,968 | 10.1% | 173,891 | 24.8% | 68,316 | 9.8% | 63,842 | 9.1% | 51,223 | 7.3% | 44,576 | 6.4% | 227,714 | 32.5% | 700,530 | 66.8% |
Puno | 292,218 | 47.5% | 17,514 | 2.8% | 15,918 | 2.6% | 21,665 | 3.5% | 175,712 | 28.5% | 35,484 | 5.8% | 57,010 | 9.3% | 615,521 | 81.9% |
San Martin | 67,000 | 21.4% | 46,699 | 14.9% | 26,561 | 8.5% | 21,825 | 7.0% | 31,498 | 10.0% | 17,122 | 5.5% | 102,765 | 32.8% | 313,470 | 69.2% |
Tacna | 64,521 | 33.2% | 9,363 | 4.8% | 17,842 | 9.2% | 21,000 | 10.8% | 28,696 | 14.8% | 14,068 | 7.2% | 38,779 | 20.0% | 194,269 | 77.8% |
Tumbes | 7,613 | 7.7% | 36,403 | 37.1% | 8,799 | 9.0% | 7,123 | 7.3% | 7,046 | 7.2% | 5,242 | 5.3% | 26,015 | 26.5% | 98,241 | 74.6% |
Ucayali | 26,339 | 14.0% | 40,510 | 21.5% | 14,981 | 8.0% | 11,124 | 5.9% | 14,359 | 7.6% | 15,092 | 8.0% | 65,965 | 35.0% | 188,370 | 66.3% |
Peruvians Abroad | 10,602 | 6.6% | 22,887 | 14.1% | 34,767 | 21.5% | 21,552 | 13.3% | 11,617 | 7.2% | 21,185 | 13.1% | 39,146 | 24.2% | 161,756 | 22.8% |
Total | 2,723,929 | 18.9% | 1,929,384 | 13.4% | 1,691,534 | 11.8% | 1,673,620 | 11.6% | 1,305,710 | 9.1% | 1,132,103 | 7.9% | 3,936,644 | 27.4% | 14,392,924 | 70.0% |
Source: ONPE (100% counted) |
The Popular Action, the largest party in the previous legislature, lost some of its seats, and previous parliamentary parties like Union for Peru (UPP) and the Broad Front (FA) had their worst results ever, attaining no representation. [8] The Peruvian Nationalist Party of former President Ollanta Humala and National Victory of George Forsyth (who led polling for the presidential election earlier in the year) failed to win seats as well. [8] New or previously minor parties such as Free Peru, Go on Country and Together for Peru and Popular Renewal, the successor of National Solidarity, had good results, with Free Peru becoming the largest party in Congress. [8] Contigo, the successor to former president Pedro Pablo Kuczynski's Peruvians for Change party, failed to win a seat once again and received less than 1% of the vote. [8] On 26 July, two days before Castillo was sworn in as Peru's President, an opposition alliance led by Popular Action member María del Carmen Alva successfully negotiated an agreement to gain control of Peru's Congress. [9]
Party | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Free Peru | 1,724,354 | 13.41 | 37 | +37 | |
Popular Force | 1,457,694 | 11.34 | 24 | +9 | |
Popular Renewal | 1,199,705 | 9.33 | 13 | +13 | |
Popular Action | 1,159,734 | 9.02 | 16 | −9 | |
Alliance for Progress | 969,726 | 7.54 | 15 | −7 | |
Go on Country – Social Integration Party | 969,092 | 7.54 | 7 | +7 | |
Together for Peru | 847,596 | 6.59 | 5 | +5 | |
We Are Peru | 788,522 | 6.13 | 5 | −6 | |
Podemos Perú | 750,262 | 5.83 | 5 | −6 | |
Purple Party | 697,307 | 5.42 | 3 | −6 | |
National Victory | 638,289 | 4.96 | 0 | New | |
Agricultural People's Front of Peru | 589,018 | 4.58 | 0 | −15 | |
Union for Peru | 266,349 | 2.07 | 0 | −13 | |
Christian People's Party | 212,820 | 1.65 | 0 | 0 | |
Peruvian Nationalist Party | 195,538 | 1.52 | 0 | New | |
Broad Front | 135,104 | 1.05 | 0 | −9 | |
Direct Democracy | 100,033 | 0.78 | 0 | 0 | |
National United Renaissance | 97,540 | 0.76 | 0 | 0 | |
Peru Secure Homeland | 54,859 | 0.43 | 0 | 0 | |
Contigo | 5,787 | 0.05 | 0 | 0 | |
Total | 12,859,329 | 100.00 | 130 | 0 | |
Valid votes | 12,859,329 | 72.56 | |||
Invalid votes | 2,737,099 | 15.44 | |||
Blank votes | 2,126,712 | 12.00 | |||
Total votes | 17,723,140 | 100.00 | |||
Registered voters/turnout | 25,287,954 | 70.09 | |||
Source: ONPE, Ojo Público |
The politics of the Republic of Peru takes place in a framework of a unitary semi-presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the President of Peru is both head of state and head of government, and of a pluriform multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the President and the Government. Legislative power is vested in both the Government and the Congress. The Judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature. The Economist Intelligence Unit rated Peru a "hybrid regime" in 2022.
Keiko Sofía Fujimori Higuchi is a Peruvian politician. Fujimori is the eldest daughter of former Peruvian president Alberto Fujimori and Susana Higuchi. From August 1994 to November 2000, she held the role of First Lady of Peru, during her father's administrations. She has served as the leader of the Fujimorist political party Popular Force since 2010, and was a congresswoman representing the Lima Metropolitan Area, from 2006 to 2011. Fujimori ran for president in the 2011, 2016, and 2021 elections, but was defeated each time in the second round of voting.
Ollanta Moisés Humala Tasso is a Peruvian politician and former military officer who served as President of Peru from 2011 to 2016. Originally a socialist and left-wing nationalist, he is considered to have shifted towards neoliberalism and the political centre during his presidency.
Alliance for Progress is a Peruvian political party founded on December 8, 2001 in Trujillo by Cesar Acuña Peralta.
Luis Fernando Galarreta Velarde is a Peruvian Fujimorist politician and a former Congressman representing Lima between 2006 and 2020. He was President of the Congress for the 2017–2018 annual term. Galarreta was part of the presidential ticket of Keiko Fujimori in the 2021 elections that lost the elections to the Pedro Castillo ticket, however, he was elected to the Andean Parliament.
Yonhy Lescano Ancieta is a Peruvian lawyer and politician belonging to the Popular Action party. He was a Congressman between 2001 until the dissolution of the Congress by Martín Vizcarra in 2019. From 2009 to 2011, he served as the Popular Action party's national secretary-general. He was the Popular Action's presidential nominee in the 2021 general election and placed fifth in an atomized race of 18 nominees.
Popular Force, known as Force 2011 until 2012, is a right-wing populist and Fujimorist political party in Peru. The party is led by Keiko Fujimori, former congresswoman and daughter of former President Alberto Fujimori. She ran unsuccessfully for the presidency in the 2011, 2016 and 2021 presidential elections, all losing by a narrow margin.
Fujimorism is the policies and the political ideology of former President of Peru Alberto Fujimori as well as the personality cult built around him, his policies and his family, especially Keiko Fujimori. The ideology is defined by authoritarianism, its support for neoliberal economics, opposition to communism, and socially and culturally conservative stances such as opposition to LGBT rights and school curriculums including gender equality or sex education. Opponents of Fujimorism are known as anti-Fujimorists.
General elections were held in Peru on 10 April 2016 to determine the president, vice-presidents, composition of the Congress of the Republic of Peru and the Peruvian representatives of the Andean Parliament.
José Pedro Castillo Terrones is a Peruvian politician, former elementary school teacher, and union leader who served as the President of Peru from 28 July 2021 to 7 December 2022. Facing imminent impeachment proceedings, on 7 December 2022, Castillo attempted to dissolve Congress and rule by decree. In response, the Congress of the Republic of Peru impeached him, resulting in his removal from office.
Peruvians for Change was a centre-right party in Peru.
Since 2016, Peru has been plagued with political instability and a growing crisis, initially between the President, Pedro Pablo Kuczynski and Congress, led de facto by Keiko Fujimori. The crisis emerged in late 2016 and early 2017 as the polarization of Peruvian politics increased, as well as a growing schism between the executive and legislative branches of government. Fujimori and her Fujimorist supporters would use their control of Congress to obstruct the executive branch of successive governments, resulting with a period of political instability in Peru.
General elections were held in Peru on 11 April 2021. The presidential election, which determined the president and the vice presidents, required a run-off between the two top candidates, which was held on 6 June. The congressional elections determined the composition of the Congress of Peru, with all 130 seats contested.
Together for Peru is a Peruvian centre-left to left-wing political coalition founded with the incumbent registration of the Peruvian Humanist Party.
Alberto Ismael Beingolea Delgado is a Peruvian politician, who was the President of the Christian People's Party between 2017 and 2021. He is a former Congressman, representing Lima between 2011 and 2016. Before entering politics, he was a journalist and sports commentator.
Since the previous elections in 2016, polling companies have published surveys tracking voting intention for the 2021 Peruvian general election. The results of these surveys are listed below in reverse chronological order. The first round of the election was held on 11 April, and the run-off between Keiko Fujimori and Pedro Castillo was held on 6 June 2021.
Marco Antonio Arana Zegarra is a Peruvian politician, sociologist, professor and former priest, founder and activist of the Tierra y Libertad Movement. He ran unsuccessfully for President in the 2021 elections, placing 16th.
General elections are scheduled to be held in Peru by 2026, with proposals to bring them forward to 2023 or 2024 due to the 2022–2023 Peruvian protests rejected. The presidential elections will determine the president and the vice presidents, while the congressional elections will determine the composition of the Congress of Peru, which will return to being a bicameral legislature with a 60-seat Senate and 130-seat Chamber of Deputies.
On December 7, 2022, Pedro Castillo, the then President of Peru, made an attempt to dissolve the Congress amidst looming removal proceedings. This move included the immediate imposition of a curfew, an attempt to establish an emergency government, and a call for the formation of a constituent assembly. Prior to this, Attorney General Patricia Benavides had accused Castillo of leading a criminal organization, a claim that contravened Article 117 of the Constitution of Peru. She had urged the Congress to remove him from office, leading to the third removal attempt against Castillo. Castillo defended his actions by arguing that the Congress, which had obstructed many of his policies, was serving oligopolistic businesses and had colluded with the Constitutional Court to undermine the executive branch, thereby creating a "congressional dictatorship". He also advocated for the immediate election of a constituent assembly, a demand that had been echoed since the 2020 Peruvian protests.
The third presidential vacancy (impeachment) process against President Pedro Castillo was an action initiated by the Congress of the Republic of Peru with the purpose of declaring the "permanent moral incapacity" of the President of the Republic, Pedro Castillo, under Article 113 of the Political Constitution of Peru.