National holiday:
Independence Day, 28 July (1821)
Constitution:
31 December 1993
Legal system:
based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal and compulsory until the age of 70; note
- members of the military and national police may not vote
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Alejandro TOLEDO Manrique (since 28 July
2001); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of
government; additionally, the constitution provides for two vice
presidents, First Vice President (vacant) and Second Vice President
David WAISMAN Rjavinsthi (since 28 July 2001)
head of government: President Alejandro TOLEDO Manrique (since 28
July 2001); note - the president is both the chief of state and head
of government; additionally, the constitution provides for two vice
presidents, First Vice President (vacant) and Second Vice President
David WAISMAN Rjavinsthi (since 28 July 2001)
note: Prime Minister Pedro Pablo KUCZYNSKI (since 25 August 2005)
does not exercise executive power; this power is in the hands of the
president
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
special presidential and congressional elections held 8 April 2001,
with runoff election held 3 June 2001; next to be held 9 April 2006
election results: President Alejandro TOLEDO Manrique elected
president in runoff election; percent of vote - Alejandro TOLEDO
Manrique 53.1%, Alan GARCIA 46.9%
Legislative branch:
unicameral Congress of the Republic of Peru or Congreso de la
Republica del Peru (120 seats; members are elected by popular vote
to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 8 April 2001 (next to be held 9 April 2006)
election results: percent of vote by party - PP 26.3%, APRA 19.7%,
UN 13.8%, FIM 11.0%, others 29.2%; seats by party - PP 47, APRA 28,
UN 17, FIM 11, others 17
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia (judges are
appointed by the National Council of the Judiciary)
Political parties and leaders:
Independent Moralizing Front or FIM [Fernando OLIVERA Vega];
National Unity (Unidad Nacional) or UN [Lourdes FLORES Nano]; Peru
Posible or PP [David WAISMAN]; Peruvian Aprista Party or PAP (also
referred to by its original name Alianza Popular Revolucionaria
Americana or APRA) [Alan GARCIA]; Popular Action or AP [Javier DIAZ
Orihuela]; Solucion Popular [Carlos BOLANA]; Somos Peru or SP
[Alberto ANDRADE]; Union for Peru or UPP [Roger GUERRA Garcia]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
leftist guerrilla groups include Shining Path [Abimael GUZMAN
Reynoso (imprisoned), Gabriel MACARIO (top leader at-large)]; Tupac
Amaru Revolutionary Movement or MRTA [Victor POLAY (imprisoned),
Hugo AVALLENEDA Valdez (top leader at-large)]
International organization participation:
APEC, CAN, CSN, FAO, G-15, G-24, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC,
ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO,
Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur
(associate), MIGA, MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAM, OAS, ONUB, OPANAL, OPCW,
PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNOCI, UPU, WCL,
WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO