Senate of Peru
The Senate of Peru is the upper house of the Congress of Peru, following the reinstatement of a bicameral legislature after the 2026 elections.
The Senate is made up of 60 directly-elected members who serve a five year term,[1] contrasting with the 130-member Chamber of Deputies. It is tasked with reviewing and ratifying laws made by the Chamber of Deputies, along with appointing the director of the Central Bank and president of the Court of Auditors.[2] Members of the Senate are either elected from the entire country as a constituency or from a multi-member constituency, with 30 seats being shared equally for the two options.[3]
The speaker and secretary general are respectively called the President of the Senate and the Secretary General of the Senate, with Miki Torres presiding over the chamber since 26 July 2026.[1]
Half of the seats in the Senate (along with the Chamber of Deputies) are equally divided by 50% between men and women in alternating order (man, woman, man, woman, etc) as apart of a representative quota. If one sex won a maximum of their share of seats, then voting proceed with the opposite sex.[1]
History
The Senate was previously abolished and the Congress of Peru became unicameral, but re-established in 2024 after the legislative assembly voted in favour of restoring it, despite 90.52% of voters supporting the status quo unicameralism in the 2018 referendum. 91 representatives voted in favour of it, 30 voted against, and one abstained.[2]
The Senate was formerly a member of the IPU Parline between 1925–1927, 1956–1969, and 1983 under the Group of Latin America and the Caribbean (GRULAC) geopolitical group.[1]
Historically, the Senate had its first sitting in the Museum of Congress and the Inquisition.[4]
See also
Notes
References
- 1234"Chamber of Deputies". IPU Parline. Retrieved 23 May 2026.
- 12"In Peru, congress approves constitutional reform for return to bicameralism". ConstitutionNet. 8 March 2024. Retrieved 23 May 2026.
- ↑"IFES Election Guide | Elections: Peruvian Senate 2026 General". www.electionguide.org. Retrieved 11 June 2026.
30 of the 60 members of the Senate are elected in a single nationwide constituency. The remaining 30 are elected in single and multi-member constituencies. Members are elected to serve a 5-year term.
- ↑"Peruvian Parliament". Congreso de la República. Retrieved 11 June 2026.
Since its installation in the chapel of University of San Marcos, the Parliament has had its main offices in different buildings throughout its history. Traditionally, the Congress was bicameral. The Chamber of Deputies had sittings at University of San Marcos, and the Senate met at the old building of the Inquisition.
- Government of Peru
- National upper houses
- Legislature stubs
- Peru politics stubs
