Peru鈥檚 pillars for a civic rebuild
Peruvians have lived through a decade of considerable political instability and multiple corruption scandals. But their democratic reflex endures. A stable economy and coming elections point to new possibilities for this Latin American nation.
Peruvians have lived through a decade of considerable political instability and multiple corruption scandals. But their democratic reflex endures. A stable economy and coming elections point to new possibilities for this Latin American nation.
The South American nation of Peru is approaching a record that few countries would want: When it completes this year鈥檚 elections (scheduled for April, with an expected June runoff), it will have had 10 presidents in 10 years. This week, its Congress named No. 9, Jos茅 Balc谩zar, as interim president, after his predecessor (in office for only four months) was ousted for holding clandestine meetings with a Chinese businessman.
The country鈥檚 constant carousel of leaders underscores complex factors at play across much of Latin America today: increasing crime and corruption; uneven economic progress; declining trust in governing institutions; and geopolitical rivalry between China and the United States.
Despite these pressures, according to regional analyst Sara Ben铆tez-Mongel贸s, 78% of Latin American countries score high on fair election processes. Even with a long history of multiple coups and repressive military rule in the 20th century, the region鈥檚 armed forces have not directly stepped back into politics. In this context, Ms. Ben铆tez-Mongel贸s wrote on the Global Campus of Human Rights site, Latin Americans see elections as 鈥渘ot only a procedural necessity but a hard-won symbol of political renewal.鈥�
The record-breaking 36 candidates on Peru鈥檚 presidential ballot reflect a kaleidoscope of civic and political interests. With such a large slate, the proportion of 鈥渦ndecided鈥� votes is as high as 29%, according to one January poll. And about 18% of voters indicated they might not vote or may cast a null vote.
Nevertheless, Peru has two positive trends going for it even amid political tumult.
This year鈥檚 election will see the return of a bicameral legislature, which was abolished in the 1990s. Citizens will elect 30 senators in local constituencies and another 30 in a national vote, for five-year terms. This arrangement could help counterbalance political partisanship in a single-house legislature, promote policy debate, and build broad-based trust in governance.
The second bright spot is the economy. The growth rate was 2.7% in 2022, rising to 3.3% in 2024. Inflation is low, the currency is stable, and Peru has a robust and diversifying foreign trade in agriculture as well as mining products.
As elsewhere in Latin America, the core weakness is widespread corruption 鈥� ranging from large-scale, illicit international financial transfers to insidious, low-level extortion at home. These have become harder to combat, amid declining U.S. support to strengthen Latin American anti-corruption, financial tracking, and prosecution efforts.
Nevertheless, as Peruvian-born analyst Martin Cassinelli, of the Atlantic Council, has observed, 鈥淭he democratic reflex remains: Peruvians still take to the streets, still reject corruption, and still demand ... a competent state.鈥� Their challenge, he wrote after youth-led, pro-democracy protests last fall, will be to choose 鈥渁 democratic and reformist leader willing to rebuild鈥� democratic institutions. And, one might add, able to serve out a full five-year term.