2016 Peruvian general election explained

Country:Peru
Flag Year:state
Module:
Embed:yes
Election Date:10 April 2016 (first round)
5 June 2016 (second round)
Turnout:81.80% (first round)
80.09% (second round)
Previous Election:2011 Peruvian general election
Previous Year:2011
Next Election:2021 Peruvian general election
Next Year:2021
Type:presidential
Election Name:Presidential election
Image1:Pedro Pablo Kuczynski (cropped 2).jpg
Popular Vote1:8,596,937
Percentage1:50.12%
Party1:Peruvians for Change
Running Mate1:Martín Vizcarra
Mercedes Aráoz
Nominee2:Keiko Fujimori
Party2:Popular Force
Popular Vote2:8,555,880
Percentage2:49.88%
Running Mate2:José Chlimper
Vladimiro Huaroc
President
Before Election:Ollanta Humala
Before Party:Peru Wins
After Election:Pedro Pablo Kuczynski
After Party:Peruvians for Change
Map Size:325px
Module:
Embed:yes
Election Date:10 April 2016
Election Name:Congressional election
Previous Election:2011
Next Election:2020
Seats For Election:All 130 seats in the Congress of Peru
Majority Seats:66
Leader1:Keiko Fujimori
Party1:Popular Force
Percentage1:36.34
Last Election1:37
Seats1:73
Party2:Peruvians for Change
Last Election2:New
Seats2:18
Percentage2:16.46
Leader3:Marco Arana
Party3:Broad Front (Peru)
Percentage3:13.94
Last Election3:New
Seats3:20
Leader4:César Acuña
Party4:APP
Color4:
  1. 1155cc
Last Election4:2
Seats4:9
Percentage4:9.23
Party5:Popular Alliance (Peru)
Leader5:Alan García
Last Election5:4
Seats5:5
Percentage5:8.31
Leader6:Mesías Guevara
Party6:Popular Action (Peru)
Last Election6:5
Seats6:5
Percentage6:7.20
Map:File:Elecciones parlamentarias de Perú de 2016 - Resultados.svg
Map Size:350px

General elections were held in Peru on 10 April 2016 to determine the president, vice-presidents, composition of the Congress of the Republic of Peru and the Peruvian representatives of the Andean Parliament.

In the race for the presidency, incumbent President Ollanta Humala was ineligible for re-election due to constitutional term limits. Popular Force candidate Keiko Fujimori, daughter of former President Alberto Fujimori, was the leading candidate in the first round with almost 40 per cent of the vote, but fell short of the 50 per cent majority required to avoid a second round. Peruvians for Change candidate Pedro Pablo Kuczynski narrowly beat Broad Front candidate Verónika Mendoza to finish in second and earn a place in the second round. The run-off was held on 5 June 2016. With support from those opposing Fujimori, Kuczynski won by a narrow margin of less than half a percentage point. He was sworn in as President on 28 July.

In the Congressional elections, Popular Force won in a landslide, receiving more than a third of the vote and winning an absolute majority of 73 out of 130 seats. Broad Front with 20 seats and Peruvians for Change with 18 seats emerged as the main opposition blocs.

Background

On 13 November 2015, incumbent President Ollanta Humala called for a general election to be held on 10 April 2016. He said that he would respect the constitutional term limit restrictions and would not run again.[1]

Electoral system

The President was elected using the two-round system. The 130 members of the Congress of the Republic were elected in 25 multi-member constituencies using open list proportional representation.[2]

Presidential nominees

Campaign highlights

The presidential tickets were to be filed with the National Office of Electoral Processes (ONPE) by 10 January 2016. Congressional lists were to be filed with the ONPE by 10 February 2016.

In March 2016, presidential candidates Julio Guzmán from All for Peru and César Acuña Peralta from Alliance for Progress were barred from the elections; Guzmán due to a violation of party rules in the party's internal election and Acuña Peralta due to monetary giveaways during a campaign rally, a violation of an electoral law enacted by Congress in November 2015.

Keiko Fujimori was a highly polarizing figure during the election. The daughter of the controversial former president Alberto Fujimori, who was serving time in prison at the time, she was popular among the poor and loyalists who credit her father with the defeat of Shining Path. This popularity allowed her to win in the first round of the presidential elections. She was viewed unfavorably by a number of people who oppose Fujimori for human rights abuses and corrupt practices, and who feared that her victory would mark a return of Fujimorismo. Mendoza, who placed third and could not stand in the runoff election, gave her full endorsement to Kuczynski, in order to prevent Fujimori's victory.[3]

Main presidential nominees

Popular ActionPopular ForcePopular AlliancePeruvians for ChangeBroad Front
Member of Congress
(1985–1990)
Member of Congress
(2006–2011)
President of Peru
(1985–1990 / 2006–2011)
President of the Council of Ministers
(2005–2006)
Member of Congress
(2011–2016)
Running mates
1st: Víctor A. García Belaúnde
2nd: Edmundo del Águila
1st: José Chlimper
2nd: Vladimiro Huaroc
1st: Lourdes Flores
2nd: David Salazar
1st: Martín Vizcarra
2nd: Mercedes Aráoz
1st: Marco Arana
2nd: Alan Fairlie

Minor presidential nominees

Withdrawn nominees

PartyTicketWithdrawal
Namefor Presidentfor First Vice Presidentfor Second Vice PresidentDateMotive
Always Together
Siempre Unidos
Felipe CastilloGuillermo RuizIsaac Humala10 February 2016Internal party disputes.[5]
Peru Secure Homeland
Perú Patria Segura
Renzo ReggiardoCarlos Vicente MarcaMiluska CarrascoNominee claimed lack of credibility in the electoral process.[6]
Peruvian Nationalist Party
Partido Nacionalista Peruano
Daniel UrrestiSusana VillaránMaciste Díaz11 March 2016Party filed for withdrawal in order to preserve party registration.[7]
Libertarian Perú
Perú Libertario
Vladimir CerrónJorge Paredes TerryJesús Zárate24 March 2016In protest of the National Jury of Elections for not disqualifying Keiko Fujimori.[8]
Peruvian Humanist Party
Partido Humanista Peruano
Yehude SimonRosa MavilaYorka Gamarra28 March 2016Party filed for withdrawal in order to preserve party registration.[9]
Peru Nation
Perú Nación
Francisco Diez CansecoClaudio ZollaMargarita Gamboa29 March 2016Party filed for withdrawal in order to preserve party registration.[10]
National Solidarity
Solidaridad Nacional
Hernando Guerra GarcíaJosé LunaGustavo RondónParty filed for withdrawal in order to preserve party registration.[11]

Disqualified nominees

PartyTicketDisqualification
Namefor Presidentfor First Vice Presidentfor Second Vice PresidentDateMotive
Alliance for the Progress of Peru
Alianza para el Progreso del Perú
César AcuñaAnel TownsendHumberto Lay9 March 2016Disqualified for attempted vote buying in campaign trail.
All for Peru
Todos por el Perú
Julio GuzmánJuana UmasiCarolina Lizárraga9 March 2016Disqualified for irregularities in nomination process.[12]

Opinion polls

See main article: Opinion polling for the 2016 Peruvian general election.

Results

President

The first round was held on 10 April. Exit polls indicated that Keiko Fujimori placed first in the first round of voting with approximately 40% of the vote, with Pedro Pablo Kuczynski and Veronika Mendoza each receiving approximately 20%.[13] [14]

The second round was held on 5 June. Exit polls indicated that Pedro Pablo Kuczynski held a slight lead over Keiko Fujimori. As counting continued, the gap narrowed significantly. Preliminary results gave Kuczynski a 0.25 per cent advantage over Fujimori, with less than 50,000 votes between them. Approximately 50,000 votes were challenged during the count.[15] Fujimori conceded the election to Kuczynski on 10 June.[16]

Congress

Popular Force won in a landslide, taking more than a third of the vote and an absolute majority of 73 out of 130 seats. Behind them in opposition, Peruvians for Change with 18 seats and Broad Front with 20 seats. Other parties which gained representation in Congress include Alliance for the Progress of Peru (9 seats), Popular Alliance (5 seats) and Popular Action (5 seats).[17]

Andean Parliament

Only the three main parties obtained representation in the Andean Parliament, with Popular Force obtaining 3 seats (plus six substitutes) each, and Broad Front and Peruvians for Change obtaining only one seat (and two substitutes). Popular Force got the most votes, with 38.1% of the valid ballots. Former congressman Rolando Sousa of Popular Force obtained the most individual votes, with 407,811.

Notes and References

  1. News: Ollanta Humala convoca a elecciones generales para el 2016. El Comercio. 13 November 2015. es.
  2. http://www.electionguide.org/countries/id/170/ Peru
  3. Web site: Kuczynski ahead in Peru election, but will he be able to govern?. Dan Collyns. 7 June 2016. The Guardian. 22 May 2016.
  4. Web site: Taj. Mitra. 30 September 2016. AQ Top 5 Politicians Under 40: Verónika Mendoza. 2020-11-26. Americas Quarterly. en-US.
  5. Web site: Felipe Castillo renuncia a candidatura presidencial. 10 February 2016. Plataforma. La República. larepublica.pe. 19 February 2021.
  6. Web site: Renzo Reggiardo renunció a su candidatura a la presidencia. 19 February 2016. Redacción. El Comercio. elcomercio.pe. 19 February 2021.
  7. Web site: Partido Nacionalista retiró la candidatura de Daniel Urresti. 11 March 2016. Redacción. El Comercio. elcomercio.pe. 19 February 2021.
  8. Web site: Vladimir Cerrón abandonó las Elecciones Generales del 2016 . El Comercio . es . 24 March 2016 . 24 March 2016.
  9. Web site: Yehude Simon anuncia retiro de su candidatura presidencial . La República . es . 28 March 2016 . 28 March 2016.
  10. Web site: Francisco Diez-Canseco renunció a su candidatura presidencial . El Comercio. es . 29 March 2016 . 29 March 2016.
  11. Web site: Solidaridad Nacional retira candidatura de Nano Guerra García . El Comercio. es . 29 March 2016 . 29 March 2016.
  12. Web site: Peru presidential candidates Guzman and Acuna banned from election. BBC. 9 March 2016. 2016-03-09.
  13. Web site: ONPE - Oficina Nacional de Procesos Electorales. www.web.onpe.gob.pe. es. 2018-11-23.
  14. News: Peru election: Keiko Fujimori wins first round, say exit polls – BBC News. BBC News. 11 April 2016. en-GB. 2016-04-11.
  15. News: Peru election: Kuczynski wins, but Fujimori has yet to concede. 11 June 2016. BBC News.
  16. News: Peru elections: Keiko Fujimori concedes to Kuczynski. 11 June 2016. BBC News.
  17. Web site: ELECTION FOR CONGRESO DE LA REPÚBLICA 2016. 1 June 2016.