Overview
- Lawmakers approved the constitutional reform in a first vote, 81–18 with 6 abstentions, triggering a referendum because it fell short of the two‑thirds threshold.
- The substitute text adds Article 65‑A, declaring Indecopi a constitutional body and detailing its mandate over competition, consumer protection, intellectual property, merger control and related functions.
- Governance would shift to a five‑member board: three designated by the Executive, including the president subject to Senate ratification, and two chosen by the Senate for five‑year terms with immediate re‑election allowed; the Senate could remove directors for grave misconduct.
- Earlier drafts that proposed a multi‑agency selection committee including the central bank and other authorities were dropped in the final text after expert criticism.
- On the same day, Indecopi’s competition commission fined 13 pharmaceutical firms 100,852.72 UIT (over S/539 million) for colluding in public drug tenders from 2006 to 2020, sanctioned five executives 262.67 UIT, ordered five years of compliance programs and issued a first‑instance decision open to appeal.