Elections in Peru
# Elections in Peru

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.

## Schedule

### Election

| Position | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Type | Presidential (April & June) National Congress (April) Gubernatorial (April & June) | None | None | None | None | Presidential (April & June) National Congress (April) Gubernatorial (April & June) |
| President and vice president | President and vice president | None | None | None | None | President and vice president |
| National Congress | All seats | None | None | None | None | All seats |
| Provinces, cities and municipalities | All positions | None | None | None | None | All positions |

### Inauguration

| Position | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Type | Presidential (May) National Congress (May) Gubernatorial (May) | None | None | None | None | Presidential (May) National Congress (May) Gubernatorial (May) |
| President and vice president | 28 July | None | None | None | None | 28 July |
| National Congress | 28 July | None | None | None | None | 28 July |
| Provinces, cities and municipalities | 28 July | None | None | None | None | 28 July |

## Latest elections

### Presidential election

The first round was held on 11 April. 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. Yonhy Lescano, Rafael López Aliaga, Verónika Mendoza, and George Forsyth followed, with each receiving 11.0%, 10.5%, 8.8%, and 6.4%, respectively. 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.

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.

| Candidate | Candidate | Party | First round | First round | Second round | Second round |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Candidate | Candidate | Party | 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 | Total | Total | 14,400,630 | 100.00 | 17,628,497 | 100.00 |
| Valid votes | Valid votes | Valid votes | 14,400,630 | 81.30 | 17,628,497 | 93.49 |
| Invalid votes | Invalid votes | Invalid votes | 1,123,027 | 6.34 | 1,106,816 | 5.87 |
| Blank votes | Blank votes | Blank votes | 2,190,059 | 12.36 | 121,489 | 0.64 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 17,713,716 | 100.00 | 18,856,802 | 100.00 |
| Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | 25,287,954 | 70.05 | 25,287,954 | 74.57 |
| Source: ONPE, ONPE |||||||

**By department**

2021 Peruvian presidential election results – First round by Department :

| Department | Castillo Free Peru | Castillo Free Peru | Fujimori Popular Force | Fujimori Popular Force | López Aliaga Popular Renewal | López Aliaga Popular Renewal | De Soto Go on Country | De Soto Go on Country | Lescano Popular Action | Lescano Popular Action | Mendoza Together for Peru | Mendoza Together for Peru | Other candidates | Other candidates | Valid votes | Turnout |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Department | Votes | % | Votes | % | Votes | % | Votes | % | Votes | % | Votes | % | Votes | % | Valid votes | Turnout |
| 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) |||||||||||||||||

### Parliamentary election

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. 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. 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. 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. 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.

| | 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 | Total | 12,859,329 | 100.00 | 130 | 0 |
| Valid votes | Valid votes | 12,859,329 | 72.56 | | |
| Invalid votes | Invalid votes | 2,737,099 | 15.44 | | |
| Blank votes | Blank votes | 2,126,712 | 12.00 | | |
| Total votes | Total votes | 17,723,140 | 100.00 | | |
| Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | 25,287,954 | 70.09 | | |
| Source: ONPE, Ojo Público ||||||

## Laws

* Sale of alcohol and carrying firearms (except for Members of the Armed Forces and the National Police) are forbidden during an election.
* Political gatherings are forbidden, while public gatherings of any sort are prohibited during voting hours, including religious liturgies and entertainment shows. Clergy of any religion can not participate in their distinctive garments or habits.
