The Political Constitution of the Republic of Peru (;
Southern Quechua
Southern Quechua (, ), or simply Quechua (Qichwa or Qhichwa), is the most widely spoken of the major regional groupings of mutually intelligible dialects within the Quechua language family, with about 6.9 million speakers. Besides Guaraní it ...
: ''Perú Suyu Hatun Kamay Pirwa 1993'') is the supreme law of
Peru
Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...
. The current constitution, enacted on 31 December 1993, is Peru's fifth in the 20th century and replaced the 1979 Constitution. The Constitution was drafted by the
Democratic Constituent Congress that was convened by
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment Film and television
*'' Præsident ...
Alberto Fujimori during the
Peruvian Constitutional Crisis of 1992 that followed his 1992
self-coup
A self-coup, also called an autocoup () or coup from the top, is a form of coup d'état in which a political leader, having come to power through legal means, stays in power illegally through the actions of themselves or their supporters. The le ...
and dissolution of
Congress
A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...
, and was promulgated on 29 December 1993. A Democratic Constitutional Congress (CCD) was elected in 1992, and the final text was approved in
a 1993 referendum. The Constitution was primarily created by Fujimori and supporters without the participation of any opposing entities.
The 1993 Constitution of Peru differed originally from the 1979 Constitution in that it gave greater power to the president. For example, it allowed for reelection, reduced the bicameral 240-member congress to a unicameral 120
Congress of the Republic,
not only affirmed the president's power to
veto
A veto is a legal power to unilaterally stop an official action. In the most typical case, a president (government title), president or monarch vetoes a bill (law), bill to stop it from becoming statutory law, law. In many countries, veto powe ...
found in the 1979 Constitution, but also gave him the power to use a
line item veto, and mandated that all tax laws receive prior approval by the
Ministry of Economics and Finance. While the Constitution of 1979 allowed the president to dissolve congress after congress censured prime ministers three times, the 1993 constitution allows the president to do so after only two censures. The Constitution allows the president to decree laws as long as they first informs the Congress of their intent to do so. If the president dissolves Congress, the Constitution gives them the power to rule until the election of a new Congress within a four-month timeline, during which time the Standing Committee of the dissolved Congress will remain functioning. Following the ouster of President
Alberto Fujimori, the Constitution was amended to bar the president from immediate re-election, a status quo that had prevailed for most of the time since the Great Depression. Subsequent constitutional amendments, laws of Congress, and Constitutional Court rulings have further changed the rules of interaction among branches of government.
To December 2024, the current Constitution of Peru had been subject to 30 amendments since 1995, most of which had been approved by Congress supermajority votes, and just 3 of those amendments had been ratified by a 2018 referendum. Since the
2020 Peruvian protests, calls for the creation of a
constituent assembly
A constituent assembly (also known as a constitutional convention, constitutional congress, or constitutional assembly) is a body assembled for the purpose of drafting or revising a constitution. Members of a constituent assembly may be elected b ...
have been made in Peru,
with the majority of Peruvians showing approval of a new constitution in 2023.
History
Peru has had twelve constitutions (1823, 1826, 1828, 1834, 1839, 1856, 1860, 1867, 1920, 1933, 1979 and 1993), four provisional statutes (1821, 1855, 1879 and 1883) and one confederate constitution during
Peru–Bolivian Confederation
The Peru–Bolivian Confederation () was a short-lived state that existed in South America between 1836 and 1839. The country was a loose confederation made up of three states: North Peru and South Peru—states that arose from the division of th ...
(1837).
1823 Constitution
The Political Constitution of the Peruvian Republic () was written by the first
Constituent Congress of Peru and promulgated by President
José Bernardo de Tagle on November 12, 1823. It was almost completely suspended in order to allow
Simón Bolívar
Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios (24July 178317December 1830) was a Venezuelan statesman and military officer who led what are currently the countries of Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Panama, and Bol ...
's
campaign to be planned carefully. It was re-established on June 11, 1827, and abolished the next year.
1826 Constitution
The Constitution for the Peruvian Republic (), also known as the Lifetime Constitution () was written by Simón Bolívar and promulgated by a government council led by
Andrés de Santa Cruz
Andrés de Santa Cruz y Calahumana (; 30 November 1792 – 25 September 1865) was a Bolivian general and politician who served as interim president of Peru in 1827, the interim president of Peru from 1836 to 1838 and the sixth president of ...
. It was similar to the Bolivian constitution, and a planned
Colombian constitution, with the three countries being part of Bolívar's intent to establish a Federation in South America. The anti-Bolivarian sentiment that erupted in Peru at the time suspended the constitution after 49 days, with the 1823 constitution being re-established the next year.
1828 Constitution
The Political Constitution of the Peruvian Republic () was promulgated on March 18, 1828, by President
José de la Mar. Despite its short duration, its importance lies in the fact that it laid the constitutional foundations of Peru, serving as a model for the following constitutions, for almost a century.
1834 Constitution
The Political Constitution of the Peruvian Republic () was approved by the National Convention in Lima and promulgated on June 10, 1834, by provisional president
Luis José de Orbegoso. This document legally paved the way for the federation of Peru with Bolivia, and was soon abolished due to the establishment of the
Peru–Bolivian Confederation
The Peru–Bolivian Confederation () was a short-lived state that existed in South America between 1836 and 1839. The country was a loose confederation made up of three states: North Peru and South Peru—states that arose from the division of th ...
, which itself established two constitutions for its constituent countries of
North Peru and
South Peru.
1836 Constitutions
After political instability in Peru and a coup d'état in 1835, a
civil war
A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...
broke out between newly self-declared president
Felipe Santiago Salaverry and constitutional president
Luis José de Orbegoso, who allowed Bolivian president
Andrés de Santa Cruz
Andrés de Santa Cruz y Calahumana (; 30 November 1792 – 25 September 1865) was a Bolivian general and politician who served as interim president of Peru in 1827, the interim president of Peru from 1836 to 1838 and the sixth president of ...
to send his troops through the Peruvian border. After the latter's triumph in 1836, assemblies were soon established to make way for the creation of the Confederation, an idea that had been floating around since the
era of independence.
In Peru, two assemblies were convened: the
Sicuani Assembly, which established South Peru, and the
Huaura Assembly, which established North Peru. Both states' constitutions prepared the countries' union with Bolivia to create the
Peru–Bolivian Confederation
The Peru–Bolivian Confederation () was a short-lived state that existed in South America between 1836 and 1839. The country was a loose confederation made up of three states: North Peru and South Peru—states that arose from the division of th ...
, first after its proclamation by decree, and then after an assembly that met in
Tacna
Tacna, officially known as San Pedro de Tacna, is a city in southern Peru and the regional capital of the Tacna Region. A very commercially active city, it is located only north of the border with Arica y Parinacota Region from Chile, inland f ...
, which authored the constitution of the state.
1839 Constitution
The Political Constitution of the Peruvian Republic () was approved by a General Congress in
Huancayo, leading to it being also known as the Huancayo Constitution (). It was promulgated on November 10, 1839, by provisional president
Agustín Gamarra, and was of conservative nature, unlike its predecessors.
1856 Constitution
The Political Constitution of the Peruvian Republic () was approved by the National Convention in Lima after the successful
liberal revolution carried out against then president
José Rufino Echenique. It was promulgated on October 19, 1856, by provisional president
Ramón Castilla, and was of a very liberal character, leading to the
Peruvian Civil War of 1856–1858.
1860 Constitution
The Political Constitution of Peru () was approved by the Congress of the Republic and promulgated on November 13, 1860, by president Ramón Castilla. Due to the nature of the civil war of 1856–1858, it was a moderate constitution, agreed upon by both liberals and conservatives. It was replaced by an unpopular constitution in 1867 and then re-established on the same year.
1867 Constitution
The Political Constitution of Peru () was approved by the Constituent Assembly on August 29, 1867, and promulgated on the same day by provisional president
Mariano Ignacio Prado. Its extremely liberal nature led to a
civil war
A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...
which ended Prado's presidency and re-established the 1860 constitution.
1920 Constitution
The Constitution for the Republic of Peru () was approved on December 27, 1919, and promulgated by president
Augusto B. Leguía on January 18, 1920. Of progressive nature, many of its contents were not enforced up until its replacement in 1933.
1933 Constitution
The Political Constitution of Peru () was promulgated on April 9, 1933, by president
Luis Miguel Sánchez Cerro. The
Revolutionary Government of the Armed Forces of Peru established in 1968 after a successful
coup d'état
A coup d'état (; ; ), or simply a coup
, is typically an illegal and overt attempt by a military organization or other government elites to unseat an incumbent leadership. A self-coup is said to take place when a leader, having come to powe ...
was the last to follow the constitution until its second phase, where president
Francisco Morales Bermúdez called for a new constitution to be established and for
general elections
A general election is an electoral process to choose most or all members of a governing body at the same time. They are distinct from by-elections, which fill individual seats that have become vacant between general elections. General elections ...
to be held.
1979 Constitution
The Constitution for the Republic of Peru () was promulgated on 12 July 1979 by a
Constituent Assembly
A constituent assembly (also known as a constitutional convention, constitutional congress, or constitutional assembly) is a body assembled for the purpose of drafting or revising a constitution. Members of a constituent assembly may be elected b ...
elected in June 1978 following 10 years of military rule and replaced the suspended 1933 Constitution. It became effective in 1980 with the re-election of deposed President
Fernando Belaúnde Terry. It limited the president to a single five-year term and established a bicameral legislature consisting of a 60-member Senate (upper house) and a 180-member Chamber of Deputies (lower house). It also eliminated the
literacy requirement for voting and extended
suffrage
Suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise is the right to vote in public, political elections and referendums (although the term is sometimes used for any right to vote). In some languages, and occasionally in English, the right to v ...
to all adults 18 or older.
Proposed reform
Fujimorism has held power over much of Peruvian society through maintaining control of institutions and legislation created in the 1993 constitution, which was written by Alberto Fujimori and his supporters without opposition participation.
Due to broadly interpreted
impeachment
Impeachment is a process by which a legislative body or other legally constituted tribunal initiates charges against a public official for misconduct. It may be understood as a unique process involving both political and legal elements.
In Eur ...
wording in the 1993 Constitution of Peru, the Congress can impeach the
President of Peru
The president of Peru (), officially the constitutional president of the Republic of Peru (), is the head of state and head of government of Peru. The president is the head of the executive branch and is the supreme head of the Peruvian Armed ...
without cause, effectively making the legislature more powerful than the executive branch.
Beginning with
Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, the Fujimorist Congress used this impeachment procedure liberally,
also impeaching
Martín Vizcarra
Martín Alberto Vizcarra Cornejo (; born 22 March 1963) is a Peruvian engineer and politician who served as President of Peru from 2018 to 2020. Vizcarra Martín Vizcarra's governorship of Moquegua, previously served as List of regional governor ...
and
Pedro Castillo.
Notable public support for a constituent assembly and a new constitution began during the
2020 Peruvian protests.
Support for a new constitution increased even further following the
self-coup attempt by President Castillo and the subsequent
2022–2023 Peruvian political protests. According to IEP polling from January 2023, when asked if they supported the calls for a new constituent assembly, 69% of respondents approved.
Popular proposals for the new constitution include
mandatory military service and legalizing the
death penalty
Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty and formerly called judicial homicide, is the state-sanctioned killing of a person as punishment for actual or supposed misconduct. The sentence ordering that an offender be punished in s ...
.
See also
*
Constitutional economics
Constitutional economics is a research program in economics and constitutionalism that has been described as explaining the choice "of alternative sets of legal-institutional-constitutional rules that constrain the choices and activities of econom ...
*
Constitutionalism
Constitutionalism is "a compound of ideas, attitudes, and patterns of behavior elaborating the principle that the authority of government derives from and is limited by a body of fundamental law".
Political organizations are constitutional to ...
*
Rule according to higher law
The rule according to a higher law is a philosophical concept that no law may be enforced by the government unless it conforms with certain universal principles (written or unwritten) of fairness, morality, and justice. Thus, ''the rule accordin ...
*
Reglamento Provisional
References
Bibliography
*
*
External links
*
The Constitution of PeruFormer constitutions of Peru
*
English translation of the Political Constitution of Peru- translated by staff of the Translation Bureau of the Congress of the Republic of Peru.
{{Americas topic, Constitution of, title=Constitutions of states and dependencies in the Americas
*
Peruvian legislation
1823 establishments in Peru
1826 establishments in Peru
1828 establishments in Peru
1834 establishments in Peru
1839 establishments in Peru
1856 establishments in Peru
1860 establishments in Peru
1867 establishments in Peru
1920 establishments in Peru
1933 establishments in Peru
1979 establishments in Peru
1993 establishments in Peru