Fragmented Congress will facilitate reform in Peru

Significance

The election of a highly fragmented legislature will help President Martin Vizcarra steer a package of political and judicial reforms through Congress in his last 18 months in office. It ends the effective hegemony of the pro-Fujimori Fuerza Popular (Popular Force, FP) party, which won an absolute majority of seats in 2016. With the exception of Accion Popular (Popular Action, AP), voters have rejected Peru’s more established parties, whose reputations have been tarnished by corruption in recent years.

Impacts

• Such old established parties as the PPC and APRA will be unrepresented in Congress.
• High levels of voter dissatisfaction will continue to generate space for outsider candidates.
• The 2021 presidential contest is unpredictable.