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Split Congress Installed After Contested Leadership Votes

A razor‑thin Senate victory that followed disputed ballots may shape how the incoming Keiko Fujimori administration negotiates legislation.

Overview

  • The Senate elected Miguel Torres (Fuerza Popular) as president in a second‑round vote that ended 30–29 after one ballot was declared null and one senator did not display her vote, and Torres and three vice presidents were immediately sworn in.
  • The Chamber of Deputies elected Óscar Reto (Partido del Buen Gobierno) by 74–56 later the same day, with his center‑left coalition taking clear control of the lower chamber.
  • Both votes featured procedural incidents: multiple cédulas were found marked or defective and replaced, the Deputies session was briefly suspended to review ballots, and press access to the hemicycle was restricted, prompting complaints from journalists.
  • Senate rules require an absolute majority in the first round and allow a simple‑majority runoff between the top two lists but do not explicitly address a tied second round, leaving a regulatory gap if a future runoff deadlocks.
  • The split leadership—officialists controlling the Senate and an opposition coalition leading Deputies—marks the formal return of bicameralism after more than three decades and sets up a divided legislature that will influence oversight, lawmaking, and negotiations with President‑elect Keiko Fujimori.