Description of Electoral System:

(courtesy of Electoral Law Election N° 26859, Peruvian Constitution of 1993 and National Jury Of Election)

The electoral system of Peru used to manage the election in the nation it is specified in the Peruvian political Constitution of 1993 like “the set of institutions in charge of the organization, planning and execution off the different electoral processes that are made in the country”. The electoral management is an independent model.

By before indicated, in Peru the representative democracy exist and there are mechanism of Direct democracy, also is a country with Presidential system.

In the beginning of the republic, the elections was organized and executed by the Executive Branch and the Legislative Branch. After that, since 1930 it was created the National Jury of Elections (JNE) that it worked like an independent being ordered assume the electoral task. The JNE also elaborated the registry of citizens and it granted its identity card to them, also it’s coordinated all the logistic workings before, during and after the electoral process, and finally it made the scrutiny and promulgated the results. Also, it had jurisdictional faculties to solve the contentions subjects than on electoral matter appeared to it.

But in the 90´s, the Fujimori´s government changed the JNE and replaced it in three different institutions: the National Jury of Elections (JNE), the National Organism of Electoral Process (ONPE) and the National Registry of Identification and Civil State, forming the present Electoral System (RENIEC).

• National Jury of Election (JNE): Institution in charge of administrating  electoral justice, the registry of political organizations and of giving electoral education.
• National Organism of Electoral Process (ONPE): Institution in charge of organizating electoral processes.
• National Registry of Identification and Civil State (RENIEC): Institution in charge of maintaing updated the citizen and electoral register, which includes births, marriages, divorces and deaths.

The candidates to the Presidency and 1rst and 2cond vice-presidency postulate, every five years, in a closet list. The voter votes in block by three. The election is made through national unique district (constituency). If no candidate surpasses 50% of the valid votes, both candidates go to second electoral round (ballotage), to the 30 days of given the electoral results. There is no immediate re-election.

The election for the Parliament is made through list “blocked but not closed” every five years. It exist a separated vote for President and another one for Congressman. It is possible to be voted by two candidates to the congress which the system of proportional vote. The election of the parliament becomes trough constituency at departmental level. The unicameral Congress has 120 members also elected for a five year term by proportional representation, with the threshold of 4%. The method of distribution of seats is the one of the distributing number (D´hondt). The election of the parliament becomes through the same day of the president election in a single electoral ballot. These lists must incorporate, at least a 30% of quota for men or women in them.

The characteristics are:

• A multi-member constituencies of distribution for seats
• Form of candidacy with type closed and not blocked list
• Form of vote, preferential in double option
• Single-member ballot
• Allocation system with the D´hondt method
• Simultaneous election system for the President and Congress

Regional and local authorities in all the country elect themselves every four years. Each one of these circumscriptions elects a mayor and a number of regional authorities according to the population. The list than are headed by the mayor, are closed and blocked. It gains the list that obtains the highest voting. Half plus one is applied to the majority election (of the regional authority) or the electoral quota is applied, what it’s agrees more to the winning list. The list do not have to be conformed by not less of 30% of representatives of the Native Communities or original Towns of each corresponding circumscription, according to determines the JNE it.

Since 2002, the regional presidents, vice-presidents and advisors of each one of the 25 regions elect themselves in Peru in a same election that conform it. Each regional electoral circumscription elects to its representative 4 years. In the case of the regional advisors its number is determined by the number of providences that conform the region with the exception of the cases in that number of provinces is smaller to seven, since this is the minimum number of representatives to elect to conform the Regional Council. 

Upcoming Elections

(Cortesy of National Jury of Elections)

On November 29th of 2009 will take place in Peru the Electoral Processes of Recall of Local Authorities and the New Local Elections. In the mentioned electoral processes, citizens of 72 electoral districts must decide the recall or not of their local authorities. In addition, citizens of 91 electoral districts must decide new local authorities in the same date of electoral process of recall.

To vote is required to have the National Document of Identity (DNI), and be duly registered in the Electoral Register.