SUMMARY
The Government of Peru operates under a presidential republic, though the country has experienced extended periods of authoritarian rule in the 20th century. From 1948 to 1963, and again from 1968 to 1980, Peru was governed by military regimes that came to power through coups d’état.
Under President Fernando Belaúnde Terry (1980–1985), the country reestablished electoral democracy, but the period also marked the outbreak of two major intrastate conflicts , that saw the Government of Peru against the Partido Comunista del Perú–Sendero Luminoso (Communist Party of Peru–Shining Path) and the MRTA (Túpac Amaru Revolutionary Movement).
In 1990, Alberto Fujimori was elected president and remained in office until 2000. His tenure was marked by a sharp militarization of counterinsurgency efforts, widespread human rights violations, and the 1995 interstate conflict with Ecuador, known as the Cenepa War. Fujimori later dissolved Congress in a self-coup in 1992 and ruled with expanded executive powers. He was removed from office by Congress in 2000 amidst a corruption scandal and fled the country. Valentín Paniagua, then President of Congress, assumed the presidency in an interim capacity and oversaw the transition to democratic elections.
In 2001, Alejandro Toledo was elected president, followed by the return of Alan García Pérez in 2006, who had previously served during the height of the armed conflict. Ollanta Humala, a former military officer with ties to the anti-insurgency campaigns, won the presidency in 2011. Pedro Pablo Kuczynski was elected in 2016 but resigned in 2018 due to corruption allegations and was replaced by his vice president, Martín Vizcarra. Vizcarra was later impeached, setting off a rapid succession of short-term presidents, reflecting the increasing fragility of Peru’s political institutions.
Pedro Castillo, a rural teacher and union leader, was elected in 2021 but was removed by Congress in December 2022 following an attempted unconstitutional dissolution of Congress. His removal sparked widespread unrest, especially in marginalized Andean and rural regions. The ensuing protests were met with lethal repression by state forces.
Castillo was succeeded by Vice President Dina Boluarte, whose administration has faced continued governance challenges and popular resistance.
Since 1989 the Government of Peru has been involved in intrastate, interstate and one-sided violence categories of UCDP organized violence.
