Peru’s Congress has approved a bill to reinstate the two-chambered legislative system, a move that political analyst Martin Manco says is driven by legislators’ desire to stay in power.
Manco says Peru’s political structure is “quite regrettable and critical” given its reluctance to step down.
The proposed bill, which advocates splitting Peru’s Congress into a 60-member Senate and a 130-member Chamber of Deputies, received support from numerous political parties but fell short of the required votes for an automatic constitutional reform.
Consequently, it will need to be put to a referendum.
Manco highlighted that the 1993 Constitution introduced the unicameral structure in Peru after Alberto Fujimori’s “self-coup”.
Due to the inefficiencies and ineffectiveness of the dual chamber structure, the bicameral system still triggers “unpleasant” memories for many Peruvians.
In 2018, a referendum proposed by then-President Martin Vizcarra to reinstate bicameralism was emphatically rejected by 90.5% of voters.
Manco suspects that “vested interests” of the currently governing parties underlie this push towards bicameralism.
The new bill allows for legislators to run in the upcoming legislative elections, a provision that is limited in the existing system.
Given the recent political instability in Peru, the prospect of re-election is significant for the legislators.
Manco voiced his doubts regarding the effectiveness of a reintroduced Senate, referencing previous delays caused by bicameralism.
Peru’s National Jury of Elections now has four months to conduct a referendum on this proposed constitutional reform.
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