The Republic 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 ...

is a

unitary state A unitary state is a (Sovereign state, sovereign) State (polity), state governed as a single entity in which the central government is the supreme authority. The central government may create or abolish administrative divisions (sub-national or ...

with a multi-party

semi-presidential system A semi-presidential republic, or dual executive republic, is a republic in which a president exists alongside a prime minister and a cabinet, with the latter two being responsible to the legislature of the state. It differs from a parliament ...

. The current government was established by the 1993 Constitution of Peru. The government is composed of three branches, being executive, judicial, and legislative branches.

Executive branch

, President , Dina Boluarte , Independent , 7 December 2022 , - , First Vice President , ''Vacant'' , N/A , 7 December 2022 , - , Second Vice President , ''Vacant'' , N/A , 7 May 2020 , - ,

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

, Eduardo Arana , Independent , 14 May 2025 The President of Peru is the head of state and the head of government, who is elected to a term of five years; incumbents cannot be re-elected for a second consecutive term. Family members may also not immediately succeed in another family member's presidency. The executive branch, in addition to the legislative branch, may propose legislation. After legislation has been passed by the congress, the President may promulgate the legislation, giving it the force of law. In addition to the president, the executive branch contains the

Council of Ministers Council of Ministers is a traditional name given to the supreme Executive (government), executive organ in some governments. It is usually equivalent to the term Cabinet (government), cabinet. The term Council of State is a similar name that also m ...

, which, in addition to the

prime minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

, are appointed by the president.

Requirements to be Minister of State

According to Article 124 of the Political Constitution of Peru (1993), in order to be Minister, it is required: *Be a natural born citizen. *Be a current citizen. *Be 25 years old or older. *Members of the Armed Forces and National Police can be Ministers. Article 92 states that members of Congress can be Ministers of State.

Functions

#Run the process of strategic planning, embedded in the National System of Strategic Planning and determining the sector's functional national goals applicable to every level of government; approve action plans; assign necessary resources to their execution, within the boundaries of the corresponding public budget. #Approve the budget proposal to the entities within their sector, abiding by article 32 and supervising their execution. #Establish the management measurements of the entities within their sector and evaluate their fulfillment. #Propose the inner organization of their Ministry and approve it according to their competencies attributed by Law. #Designate and remove the advising positions or any directly appointed, the heads of public entities and other entities of the sector, when this appointment is not explicitly attributed to the Council of Ministries, other authorities or the President; and submit to the President the new appointees for approval on the contrary. #Maintain relations with the regional and local government within the competencies attributed to the sector. #Countersign the presidential mandates that concern to their Ministry #Issue Supreme Resolution and Ministerial Resolutions. #Put into effect the transfer of competencies, functions, and sectorial resources to Regional and Local Government and account for their execution. #Execute all other functions that are put upon the Ministry by the Political Constitution of Peru, the Law, and the President.mlg The Ministers of State can delegate, within their Ministry, the faculties and powers that are not exclusive to their function, to the extent that it is allowed by Law. Functions 2, 4, 5, 7, and 8 are exclusive to the Minister.

Ministries of Peru

Judicial branch

The judicial branch is represented by the Supreme Court Of Justice, a 16-member body divided into three supreme sectors: *''Civil Sector'': Presides over all topics related to

civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' political freedom, freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and ...

and

commercial law Commercial law (or business law), which is also known by other names such as mercantile law or trade law depending on jurisdiction; is the body of law that applies to the rights, relations, and conduct of Legal person, persons and organizations ...

. *''Criminal Sector'': Presides over all topics relating to

criminal law Criminal law is the body of law that relates to crime. It proscribes conduct perceived as threatening, harmful, or otherwise endangering to the property, health, safety, and Well-being, welfare of people inclusive of one's self. Most criminal l ...

. *''Constitutional and Social Sector'': Presides over all topics relating to constitutional rights and labor law.

Legislative branch

The

legislative branch A legislature (, ) is a deliberative assembly with the authority, legal authority to make laws for a Polity, political entity such as a Sovereign state, country, nation or city on behalf of the people therein. They are often contrasted with th ...

of Peru is vested in the Congress of the Republic of Peru, which is a 130-member unicameral house. The legislators are elected for five-year terms on a proportional representation basis. The legislation is voted on in Congress, then sent to the president, who may approve it. Due to broadly interpreted impeachment wording in the 1993 Constitution of Peru, the Congress can impeach the President of Peru without cause, effectively making the legislature more powerful than the executive branch. Following a ruling in February 2023 by the Constitutional Court of Peru, whose members are elected by Congress, judicial oversight of the legislative body was also removed by the court, essentially giving Congress absolute control of Peru's government.

Suffrage

Universal suffrage is granted to all over the age of 18. Voting is compulsory until the age of 70. Some argue whether compulsive voting is for the best of the country and the citizens. Enforced strictly, with exceptions.

Notes and references

{{South America topic, Government of, title=Governments of South America