The snap elections in 2020 returned a fragmented parliament, with nine parties (up from six) entering the 130-member Congress of the Republic. Only two of them – Popular Action and the Alliance for Progress – won more than 20 seats. The largest party in the previous legislature, the Popular Force (see note 1), reduced its share of the seats from 73 to 15. The newly elected legislature, convened on 16 March, will serve out the five-year term of the previous parliament elected in April 2016. On 29 May, Congress expressed confidence in a new Cabinet led by Prime Minister Vicente Zeballos with the support of most members of six parliamentary parties (see note 2).

The snap elections followed the stand-off between the President and Congress. In March 2018, Mr. Martín Vizcarra succeeded President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, who had resigned amid corruption allegations. The new President announced anti-corruption measures, but the Congress controlled by the Popular Force blocked the vote on the President’s reform plans several times. On 28 July 2019, President Vizcarra presented a reform to Congress to bring forward general elections by one year to July 2020, instead of 2021, stating that the country needed a fresh start. On 26 September, Congress shelved the President’s proposal. The following day the President called for a confidence vote but Congress did not take it up. On 30 September, President Vizcarra dissolved Congress and called early parliamentary elections for 26 January 2020. On 3 October, the President appointed a Cabinet led by former Justice Minister Zeballos. Although Speaker Pedro Olaechea filed a case at the Constitutional Court against the dissolution of Congress, on 15 January 2020 the Court ruled in the President’s favour.

Note 1:
The party leader, Ms. Keiko Fujimori (daughter of former President Alberto Fujimori) is accused of receiving illicit party funding for her unsuccessful 2011 presidential election campaign. Although she was released from preventive custody in November 2019, she was placed in custody again shortly after the 2020 elections.

Note 2:
A total of 89 members from Popular Action, the Alliance for Progress, the Agricultural People's Front (FRERAP), the Democratic Party "We Are Peru", Podemos Perú and the Purple Party voted for the new Cabinet.