The Republic of Peru has two vice presidents, the first vice president and the second vice president, who are elected along with the president in democraticelections.[1] Their only constitutional mission is to replace the president in case of death, permanent or temporary incapacity, resignation, being abroad without the permission of Congress, failure to return from abroad at fixed time, and/or dismissal or removal from office as allowed by the Constitution.[a][2] They cannot be appointed outside of general elections.
In modern Peruvian history, two vice presidents have acceded to the presidency after the president could no longer serve, Martín Vizcarra and Dina Boluarte. Martín Vizcarra assumed the office of the presidency in 2018 after the graft scandal that led to the resignation of President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski.[4] Dina Boluarte assumed the office of the presidency in 2022 after President Pedro Castilloattempted to dissolve Congress and was impeached and removed from the presidency.
Historically, the position was one of a sole vice president, which was in place in the years 1829–1831 and 1858–1862. The dual positions of first and second vice presidents have been in place since 1862.
The office of the first vice president is currently vacant, the most recent first vice president having been Dina Boluarte. The office of the second vice president is also currently vacant, the most recent second vice president having been Mercedes Aráoz.
History
Vice president
The position of vice president of Peru appeared for the first time in the Constitution of 1823:[5]
"ARTICLE 76: There will be a Vice President in whom the same qualities concur. He/she will administer and withhold Executive Power in event of the death, resignation, or impeachment of the President, or when the president is unable to control the armed forces." Constitution of 1823
The Constitution of 1828 and the Life Constitution of 1826 also proposed only one vice president, who had to be appointed by the president. In the Constitution of 1834, the office was disbanded until the Magna Carta of 1856, which reinstated the sole vice-presidency.
First and second vice presidents
The Constitution of 1860 established two vice-presidents, elected jointly with the president.
Article 89: "There will be two Vice Presidents of the Republic, named first and second, who will be elected at the same time, with the same qualities and for the same period as the President. Constitution of 1860
In the Constitution of 1867, the power of vice-presidents was eminently curtailed. However, this constitution held in place for a short period until a successful revolution of that same year restored the Constitution of 1860.
Similarly, the Constitution of 1920 abolished the positions of vice-presidents. The Constitution of 1933 failed to change this, but the office was eventually restored by the second presidency of Óscar R. Benavides, by law on 1 April 1936. In 1939, via plebiscitary consultation, a constitutional amendment was made restoring the office of vice president and second vice president.
The 1993 Constitution and the current constitution in force — put forth by President Alberto Fujimori — recognizes the double vice-presidency in the Executive Branch.
In recent history, there have been two instances where the first vice president has acceded to the presidency after the president could no longer serve. Martín Vizcarra assumed the office of the presidency in 2018 after the graft scandal that led to the resignation of President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski. Dina Boluarte assumed the office of the presidency in 2022 after President Pedro Castilloattempted to dissolve Congress and was impeached and removed from the presidency. No second vice president has recently acceded to the presidency.
The most recent second vice president is Mercedes Aráoz, who held the office until her resignation was accepted by Congress on 7 May 2020.[8] Earlier, on 30 September 2019, the Peruvian Congress had been in the midst of the 2019 Peruvian constitutional crisis and named Aráoz as Acting President after having declared President Martín Vizcarra unfit for office.[8][4][9] Given that Congress had itself been dissolved earlier that day by President Vizcarra and that Aráoz supported the Vizcarra's call for new congressional elections, she irrevocably resigned as second vice president on 1 October 2019, to leave Vizcarra as the sole claimant to the presidency. Aráoz's resignation was not accepted until 7 May 2020, by a newly elected Congress.[8][4][9][10][11][12]
↑ While the Constitution itself does not give the vice presidents any role beyond deputizing the president, according to the Organic Law of the Executive Branch, however, the vice presidents can participate in the sessions and debates of the Council of Ministers "with voice but without vote", can fulfil additional functions that the president entrusts and assigns to them, and are also part of the presidential office's support staff.
↑ Salazar was in charge of the Executive Branch from 9 June to 22 August 1827, while the elected president La Mar traveled from Guayaquil to Lima to assume command; and from 13 September 1828, to 7 June 1829, when La Mar assumed command of the Peruvian army after the outbreak of the War against Gran Colombia until the coup d'état promoted by General La Fuente in Lima.
↑ La Fuente assumed the interim presidency from 21 September to 25 November 1829, due to President Gamarra's trip to negotiate a peace agreement with Gran Colombia; and from 5 September 1830, to 16 April 1831, when Gamarra had to travel south due to unrest on the Bolivian border. He was forced to resign as vice president in the face of a coup led by Gamarra's wife, Francisca Zubiaga y Bernales, the famous "Mariscala.
↑ Del Mar was in charge of the Executive Branch from 29 September 1859, to 22 March 1860, when President Castilla was absent to take personal command of the army during the Ecuador Campaign. He died days before completing his vice-presidential term, while in the midst of his presidential campaign.
↑ Pedro Diez Canseco assumed the interim presidency from 9 April to 5 August 1863, due to the death of San Román and the absence of Pezet; He then assumed the effective presidency, replacing the deceased president.
↑ Francisco Diez-Canseco assumed the interim presidency on 27 July 1872, following the assassination of Balta and the absence of Zevallos; he then assumed the Presidency of the Republic in place of the assassinated president.
↑ Manuel Costas assumed the interim presidency from 28 November 1874, to 16 January 1875, due to the absence of President Pardo, who was campaigning against Piérola's revolution.
↑ After President Prado left for the south to lead the war with Chile, La Puerta assumed the interim presidency from 17 May to 28 November 1879; and then, due to a trip abroad, from 18 to 23 December, before being finally overthrown by Piérola.
↑ Due to García-Calderón's arrest, Montero assumed the effective presidency.
↑ Following the death of Morales Bermúdez on April 1, 1894, Borgoño assumed the Presidency of the Republic, despite the fact that the latter's position was legally vested in him, as First Vice President. The latter's alleged excuse was alleged.
↑ Lino Alarco died before being sworn in as vice president, on 13 June 1903. Although the possibility of electing a new first vice president was discussed in Congress, it did not materialize.
↑ Following the death of Candamo, Serapio Calderón assumed the Presidency of the Republic on 7 May 1904.
↑ Both did not serve because the Constitution of 1920 abolished the office of vice president, which would be reinstated in 1936.
↑ Montagne was appointed First Vice President as President of the Council of Ministers in the Benavides government.
↑ Antonio Rodríguez was appointed 2nd Vice President as Minister of Government in the Benavides administration. While serving in this capacity, he was shot dead while attempting a coup d'état on February 19, 1939.
↑ Both of them never had the opportunity to take over the government on an interim basis, nor in the absence of the president, as it was established that the president always exercised his office, even when he was out of the country.
↑ Zenón Noriega assumed the interim presidency of the Military Junta from June 1 to July 28, 1950, after Odría's "descent to the plains" on the occasion of the 1950 general elections.
↑ Both of them never had the opportunity to take over the government on an interim basis, nor in the absence of the president.
↑ Luis Gallo Porras assumed the interim government for several short periods, due to President Prado's absence abroad.
↑ Edgardo Seoane assumed the interim government in April 1967, due to Belaúnde's attendance at the Conference of American Presidents in Punta del Este, Uruguay.
↑ The vice-presidential posts were suspended after the 1992 Peruvian self-coup. First vice president Máximo San Román led a constitutionalist movement that ignored Fujimori's authority and even went so far as to take the oath of office as President of the Republic before the senators and deputies of the dissolved Congress of the Republic, at the Lima Bar Association. However, his act lacked the support of the public, and Fujimori consolidated his hold on power.
↑ Because San Román and García y García did not recognize Fujimori as President, the Democratic Constituent Congress approved a Constitutional Law establishing that in the event of the temporary or permanent absence or impediment of the President of the Republic, the President of the Democratic Constituent Congress immediately assumes his duties.
↑ Tudela and Márquez were forced to resign before the Congress of the Republic after learning of the flight to Japan of re-elected President Alberto Fujimori and the debate over the presidential vacancy.
↑ Raúl Diez Canseco irrevocably resigned from his position on 30 January 2004, after considering himself the victim of two "politicized" constitutional accusations.
↑ Omar Chehade resigned from his position on 16 January 2012, following a series of scandals sparked by his meetings with members of the police force to take shares in a private company in October 2011.
↑ The second vice presidency was to be occupied by Vladimir Cerrón, however, he was disqualified by the National Jury of Elections in the middle of the election campaign for serving a prison sentence since 2019.
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