Peruvian presidentialism: in pursuit of governance

The Peruvian government system is a parliamentary presidentialism. Since the 19th century, Peru imported institutions of parliamentary systems attempting to reduce the power of the President, strengthening Congress’ oversight. However, in two hundred years of republicanism, democratic periods have not exceeded twenty years. At times when there was no Congress majority, a coup d’état took place. It is only since 2001 that administrations without majority in Congress were able to finish their term. In 2016, a divided government was elected. For the first time in Peruvian history as a republic, the President was confronted with a Congress with the absolute majority of an opposition party. This scenario generated a political crisis during which conflict between the branches of government escalated. Four presidents in four years and a shut-down Congress put into question the constitutional design of the Peruvian government system. Specifically, it raised the question of whether the escalation of the political crisis was caused by political actors or if the design of the government system was a contributive factor to this escalation. This debate becomes relevant in the context of several constitutional reforms in the Latin American region. In 2019, the Commission for Political Reform carried out a diagnosis and proposed certain reforms. The diagnosis showed that Peru has a democracy with weak political parties, with low representation, limited accountability, and governance problems. The research presented focuses on the institutional problems of the current government system, and proposes different alternatives to optimize democratic governance in the country.