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PERU
Congreso de la República (Congress of the Republic)
ELECTIONS IN 2006

Compare data for parliamentary chambers in the Last elections module

A historical Archive of past election results for this chamber can be found on a separate page

Parliament name (generic / translated) Congreso de la República / Congress of the Republic
Structure of parliament Unicameral
BACKGROUND
Dates of election / renewal (from/to) 9 April 2006
Purpose of elections Elections were held for all the seats of the Congress of the Republic on the normal expiry of the members' term of office.
On 9 April 2006 parliamentary elections were held in parallel with presidential elections.

In the last elections in April 2001 no party secured a majority in Congress. The centrist Perú Posible Party founded in 1999 by outgoing President Mr. Alejandro Toledo came in first with 45 seats. The leftist American Popular Revolutionary Party (APRA) also known as the Peruvian Aprista Party took 28 seats. The right-wing National Unity Party won 15 seats followed by the Independent Moralizing Front (FIM) with 11 seats and the centrist Union for Peru (UPP) with six.

Poverty alleviation was a key issue in the 2006 elections in a country where over 50 per cent of the population reportedly lives below the poverty line despite economic growth averaging 4.5 per cent in recent years. Prior to the elections support for the Perú Posible Party was eroded by corruption scandals and workers' perception that they had not benefited from the economic growth. The party's presidential candidate Mr. Rafael Balaunde Aubry withdrew his candidature in January 2006.

The UPP supported the candidature of retired army officer Mr. Ollanta Humala who pledged to nationalize strategic sectors of the economy such as mining and gas and to improve wealth redistribution in the country. The APRA was led by former president Mr. Alan García who called on young voters to support the APRA's policy to promote workers' rights. He argued that he had learnt from past mistakes during his first presidency in the late 1980s which had been marred by economic chaos and a 7 000 per cent inflation rate. The National Unity Party led by former congresswoman Ms. Lourdes Flores pledged to promote a free-market economy.

Former president Alberto Fujimori's legacy continued to cast a shadow over the 2006 elections. Mr. Fujimori in exile in Japan since 2000 was detained by the Chilean authorities in November 2005 while trying to return to Peru. His presidential candidacy was rejected by the Peruvian National Electoral Commission in January 2006. The pro-Fujimori Cambio 90 - Nueva Mayoría which had won four seats in the last elections formed the Alliance for the Future whose candidates included Ms. Keiko Fujimori the former president's daughter.

A total of 88.66 per cent of the 16.5 million registered voters turned out at the polls which went off peacefully.

The final parliamentary election results showed a major defeat for the ruling Perú Posible Party which won only two seats a sharp decrease from 45. The biggest winner was the UPP which took 45 seats up from six previously. The APRA and the National Unity Party also made gains winning 36 and 17 seats respectively. The Alliance for the Future took 13. Ms. Keiko Fujimori was elected with the highest individual score nationwide.

In the presidential race Mr. García of the APRA defeated Mr. Humala in run-off elections on 4 June. After the elections the Centre Front the Perú Posible Party and the National Restoration formed a new party in Congress and allied to the APRA.

The newly-elected parliament met on 26 July and elected Ms. Mercedes Cabanillas Bustamante (APRA) as its new Speaker. On 28 July Mr. García was sworn in as President of the Republic for the second time.
STATISTICS
Voter turnout
Round no 19 April 2006
Number of registered electors
Voters
Blank or invalid ballot papers
Valid votes
16'494'906
14'624'880 (88.66%)
3'871'557
10'753'323
Notes
Distribution of votes
Round no 1
Political Group Candidates Votes %
Union for Peru (UPP) 2'274'797 21.15
American Popular Revolutionary Alliance (APRA) 2'213'623 20.59
National Unity 1'648'717 15.33
Alliance for the Future 1'408'069 13.09
Centre Front 760'261 7.07
"Perú Posible" Party 441'462 4.11
National Restoration 432'209 4.02
Distribution of seats
Round no 1
Political Group Total Women elected
Union for Peru (UPP) 45 15
American Popular Revolutionary Alliance (APRA) 36 8
National Unity 17 5
Alliance for the Future 13 5
Centre Front 5 1
"Perú Posible" Party 2 0
National Restoration 2 1
Distribution of seats according to sex
Men
Women
Percent of women
85
35
29.17%
Distribution of seats according to age
Distribution of seats according to profession
Comments
Sources:
- IPU Group (14.06.2006)
- http://www.elecciones2006.onpe.gob.pe/
- http://www.congreso.gob.pe/ (12.03.2009)

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