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Peruvian general election
April 11, 2021
The 2021 Peruvian general election is scheduled to be held on 11 April 2021. The presidential election will determine the President, the Vice Presidents and the congressional elections will determine the composition of the Congress of Peru. All 130 seats of the unicameral Congress will be contested.
Eighteen candidates officially participated in the presidential election, the highest number of candidates since the 2006 Peruvian general election.
Early election proposal
President Martín Vizcarra initially presented legislation that would set the conditions for a snap election in 2020. If successful, Vizcarra would not be eligible for re-election. The 2020 proposed Peruvian general election would be held on April 11, 2020, to elect a new President of the Republic of Peru, along with 130 congressmen of the Congress of Peru. It was eventually decided to be held on 26 January 2020. Opposition lawmakers condemned Vizcarra’s proposal, defending the practice of five year terms. This constitutional reform was rejected.
Official election date
The 2021 Peruvian general election will be held on April 11, 2021, to elect the president of the Republic of Peru, two vice presidents of the same party, 130 congressmen of the Congress of Peru and 5 Andean parliamentarians for a five-year term from 2021 to 2026.
The President and Vice Presidents of the Republic are elected by direct suffrage and in a single electoral district. In the event that no presidential candidate reaches more than 50% of validly cast votes, a second electoral round will be held.
On April 11, 130 congressmen will be elected in 27 electoral districts, corresponding to the 24 departments, the Province of Lima, the Constitutional Province of Callao and residents living abroad. The procedure of the distribution figure with optional double preferential vote will be used.
The elected congressmen will be sworn in and assume office no later than 27 July 2021; the constitutional president of the Republic and his elected vice presidents will do so on 28 July 2021.
Sources and further reading:
Explainer: Peru’s 2021 General Elections
https://www.as-coa.org/articles/explainer-perus-2021-general-elections
In Peru’s presidential race there is no clear front runner
‘Judith never came home’: deadly fate of ‘disappeared’ women in Peru
