Il Congress of Peru approved a constitutional reform to return to bicameralism, overturning the results of the 2018 referendum in which over 90 percent of the population had voted against. “Today is a historic day. Congress approved the return to bicameralism with broad dialogue and transversal consensus", wrote the president of Parliament, Alexander Soto, on X (the former Twitter platform). “This reform will allow for better legislative quality, greater representation and strengthen our democracy,” Soto added. Following the reform, from the next elections - scheduled for 2026 - the legislative assembly of Peru will be composed of a Senate, with 60 members, and a Chamber of Deputies, with 130 parliamentarians, equal to the current number. The deputies will be responsible for formulating the laws, while the Senate will be responsible for evaluating and approving them. Furthermore, the Senate will decide on the appointments of the president of the Court of Auditors and the director of the Central Bank. The reform obtained 91 votes in favour, 30 against and one abstention.
These are the results of the second and final vote (the first was held last November 17) necessary by law when it comes to constitutional reforms. On the same occasion, parliament also voted in favor of the so-called "immediate re-election" of parliamentarians: that is, a 2019 law that prevented legislators from running for two consecutive terms was repealed. The Popular Force party and the right-wing Alliance for Progress, Avanza Pais, Popular Action and Podemos Peru parties spoke in favour, as well as the ultra-conservative Popular Renewal and some independent deputies. They voted against the opposition parties (Free Peru, Democratic Change), arguing that the popular will had already been expressed in the 2018 referendum and that restoring bicameralism would not respect the will of the citizens. Bicameralism had been eliminated during the mandate of the former president, Alberto Fujimori (1990-2000), a year after the so-called "self-coup" with which in 1992 he dissolved the chambers and suspended the powers of the judiciary.
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