| Parliament name (generic / translated) |
Congreso de la República / Congress of the Republic |
| Structure of parliament |
Unicameral |
| BACKGROUND |
| Dates of election / renewal (from/to) |
10 April 2011 |
| 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. |
The 2011 parliamentary elections were held in parallel with the presidential polls and the elections for the country's representatives to the Andean Parliament. At stake were 130 seats in the newly enlarged Congress, up from 120.
In the previous elections held in April 2006, the then ruling Perú Posible Party suffered a major defeat, winning only two of the 120 seats at stake, a sharp drop from the 45 they had previously held. The biggest winner was the Union for Peru (UPP), which took 45 seats, up from six previously. The American Popular Revolutionary Party (APRA) and the National Unity Party also made gains, winning 36 and 17 seats respectively. The Alliance for the Future - formed by supporters of former president Alberto Fujimori - took 13. His daughter, Ms. Keiko Fujimori was elected with the highest individual score nationwide.
In the presidential race, former president Alan García (APRA) defeated Mr. Ollanta Humala (UPP) in run-off elections. After the elections, the Centre Front (which won five seats), Perú Posible and the National Restoration formed a new party in Congress and allied themselves to APRA.
Mr. García's second term saw five prime ministers. The first, Mr. Jorge Del Castillo (APLA), resigned in October 2008 over corruption scandals. The President subsequently appointed Mr. Yehude Simón (a non-APLA member) who resigned in July 2009 following a strike by Amazonian indigenous peoples against new land laws (which were subsequently repealed). Mr. Javier Velásquez Quesquen (APLA) succeeded him only to leave the post after a cabinet reshuffle in September 2010. Mr. José Antonio Chang Escobedo (APLA), his successor, also resigned in March 2011 for personal reasons and was succeeded by Ms. Rosario Fernández, an independent.
In the meantime, in April 2009, Mr. Alberto Fujimori was sentenced to a 25-year prison term for corruption and authorizing death squad killings in the 1990s. In March 2010, his supporters formed a new party, Force 2011, in view of the 2011 presidential elections.
The country of 30 million inhabitants is a leading exporter of copper, gold, silver and other metals, and increases in global commodity prices boosted Peru's economy. Nevertheless, one in three Peruvians still lives on less than US $3 a day and has no access to running water.
The Peruvian Constitution prohibits two consecutive presidential mandates, thus barring Mr. García from running in 2011. The media focused on the presidential race, pushing the parliamentary polls to the back burner.
In 2011, Mr. Humala's Peruvian Nationalist Party formed the Peru Wins alliance with several other leftist parties. Force 2011 formed the Force 2011 Alliance with the National Renewal Party, and backed Ms. Keiko Fujimori as its presidential candidate. Other major candidates included former president Alejandro Toledo of the Perú Posible Party and Mr. Pedro Pablo Kuczynski of the Alliance for Major Change, who had served as prime minister under Mr. Toledo.
Mr. Humala's Peru Wins alliance pledged to review the Constitution on the basis of a "new economic model". It promised to work for a greater State role in the economy, including the water and sanitation sectors, and pledged to increase the tax on international mining companies from the current 30 per cent to 40-45 per cent and to prioritize natural gas produced at the Camisea fields for domestic use rather than for export. It also promised to provide free nursery and public education, and increase the minimum wage and pensions.
Ms. Fujimori's Force 2011 Alliance promised to promote free trade and open markets and reduce the costs of doing business by 20 per cent over the next five years, so as to achieve an annual economic growth of 7 per cent. It pledged to crack down on crime by applying harsher punishments, including the death penalty. It also promised to provide more housing with water and basic sanitation. Ms. Fujimori said only the courts could decide whether to pardon her 72 year-old father.
The Perú Posible Party, led by Mr. Toledo - Peru's first elected indigenous president - focused on poverty reduction, promising to reduce the poverty rate from the current 35 per cent to 10 per cent. It promised to transform Peru into a maritime hub by improving logistics and infrastructure and attracting more foreign investment to develop the country's economy.
Mr. Kuczynski's Alliance for Major Change pledged to eliminate extreme poverty within 10 years and reduce sales tax from the current 18 to 15 per cent. It promised to provide all Peruvians with clean drinking water. Mr. Kuczynski pledged to surrender his US nationality if elected.
On 10 April, 83.72 per cent of the 19.94 million registered voters turned out at the polls.
The final results gave 41 seats to the Peru Wins alliance and 35 to Force 2011. Perú Posible came in third with 22 seats while the Alliance for Major Change took 18 seats.
The final results gave 47 seats to the Peru Wins alliance and 38 to Force 2011 Alliance. Perú Posible Party came in third with 21 seats while the Alliance for Major Change took 12 seats. The remainder went to small parties.
None of the presidential candidates secured an absolute majority. In the run-off presidential elections held on 5 June, Mr. Humala (Peru Wins alliance) won over Ms. Fujimori (Force 2011 Alliance).
The newly-elected parliament met on 26 July and elected Mr. Daniel Fernando Abugattás Majluf (Peru Wins alliance) as its new Speaker.
On 28 July, Mr. Humala was sworn in as President of the Republic. |
| STATISTICS |
| Voter turnout |
| Round no 1 | 10 April 2011 |
Number of registered electors
Voters
Blank or invalid ballot papers
Valid votes |
19'949'915
16'701'619 (83.72%)
|
|
Notes
|
|
| Distribution of seats |
|
Round no 1
|
| Political Group |
Total
|
|
|
|
|
| Peru Wins alliance |
47
|
|
|
|
|
| Force 2011 Alliance |
38
|
|
|
|
|
| "Perú Posible" Party |
21
|
|
|
|
|
| Alliance for Major Change |
12
|
|
|
|
|
| National Solidarity Alliance |
8
|
|
|
|
|
| Peruvian Aprista Party (PAP) |
4
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Distribution of seats according to sex |
Men
Women
Percent of women |
102
28
21.54%
|
| Distribution of seats according to age |
|
|
|
| Distribution of seats according to profession |
|
|
| Comments |
Note:
The Peruvian Aprista Party (PAP) is also known as the American Popular Revolutionary Party (APRA).
Sources:
Congress of the Republic (01.01.2015)
http://www.congreso.gob.pe/organizacion/pleno.asp?mode=Pleno
http://www.elecciones2011.onpe.gob.pe/resultados2011/1ravuelta/
http://documentos.jne.gob.pe/conaut/wf_inicio.aspx
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Compare data for parliamentary chambers in the Last elections module
