Overview

In 2006, Peruvians cast ballots in key elections for president, Congress and regional and municipal offices. Alan García won another presidential term after narrowly defeating populist Ollanta Humala. Important regional and municipal officials were also selected, helping to continue efforts to decentralize political authority and increase local input in decision-making.

The 2006 elections took place against the backdrop of the government of Alejandro Toledo, who was elected in 2001 with high expectations for political and economic reform following a decade of authoritarian government under Alberto Fujimori. However, a combination of weak institutions, low public confidence and high but inequitable economic growth made it difficult for the Toledo administration to meet these expectations.

One important legacy of President Toledo was the creation of the National Accord (Acuerdo Nacional), an agreement between leading political parties and civic organizations on a consensus-based road map for long-term political and economic development. Although this Accord served as an important reference for the 2006 elections, many political parties and candidates faced challenges in addressing these key issues due to a lack of policy development capacity, weak ideological foundations and a tradition of campaigning on personality rather than issues.

NDI Program Activities

Leading up to the national, regional and local elections of 2006, NDI and local partner Transparencia worked to enhance debate on key issues of the National Accord. In close collaboration with local NGOs, NDI and Transparencia: provided political parties and regional movements with information and training on key National Accord issues, platform development and media strategies. NDI and Transparencia also: held candidate debates; organized election fairs to connect candidates, civil society groups and voters; and designed and broadcast radio segments on key electoral issues. NDI and Transparencia distributed hundreds of thousands of “Who’s Who” guides and comparative policy fact sheets providing objective information on candidates and their policies. NDI worked with local NGOs to facilitate multi-party agreements on health and education, leading to an agreement on health policy signed by 17 parties and implemented by the García administration. In early 2007, NDI and Transparencia are conducting roundtable discussions with political and civil society actors in four regions and Lima to discuss lessons learned from the 2006 elections and recommendations for reform.

Past NDI Programs

NDI began working in Peru in 1994, contributing to the formation of Transparencia, the first Peruvian independent nonpartisan national election observation group. During 2000 and 2001, NDI collaborated with The Carter Center in conducting election observation missions in Peru during the authoritarian government of Alberto Fujimori. For the 2001 electoral process, the presence of NDI and The Carter Center was fundamental in establishing the necessary conditions and international support for free and fair elections.

From 2001-2005, NDI formed part of the Consortium for Democratic Society in Peru (Consode) and worked to increase public participation in the legislative process as well as the adoption of key reforms. NDI activities focused on increasing citizen participation in the legislative process, enhancing access to information on the legislature, and promoting transparency and accountability within Congress.

Significant legislative-strengthening initiatives included:

Legislative Ethics - NDI helped the Ethics Committee in the Peruvian Congress draft a new ethics code and rules of procedure to ensure multi-partisan representation and effective handling of ethics complaints. As a result, the committee processed and made recommendations on several long-pending cases.

Citizen Participation Law - NDI provided technical assistance to civil society groups and worked with two congressional committees involved in drafting and amending Peru’s citizen participation law. NDI helped civil society groups throughout the country design an advocacy plan to encourage the passage of these reforms. With NDI’s technical assistance, Congress solicited citizen input on the legislation through public hearings and new e-governance technology.

Representation and Public Outreach- NDI helped the Peruvian Congress restructure its model for outreach and effective representation at the district level. NDI helped Congress design citizen participation curricula (e.g. distance learning classes, democracy fairs) and develop a staff training program, and provided Peruvian legislators with low-cost tools for communicating with their electorate.

NDI launched the Political Leadership Program in 1999, a regional program to strengthen the leadership skills and ability of emerging political leaders to promote the modernization of political parties.

Since 2003, NDI has included Peru in its Leadership Program by inviting 28 young leaders from seven political parties. These leaders attend a regional seminar and return to Peru to implement party strengthening projects. Current projects focus on increasing youth training and political participation; improving internal and external party communication; and strengthening party training curricula and materials.

From 2004-2005, NDI implemented the regional Program for Party Renewal (PREPA) in Argentina, Bolivia and Peru to promote reform within parties by strengthening party training services. Through reform-oriented and interactive training curricula, methodologies and materials, NDI worked with parties to improve their internal democracy, transparency and outreach practices.

In 2004, NDI conducted an assessment of the factors that affect the ability of Peruvian political parties to pursue anti-poverty efforts. The assessment was followed by a pilot program to help develop anti-poverty platforms within political parties. NDI’s report on Peru’s Political Party System and the Promotion of Pro-Poor Reform is available here.

NDI programs in Peru are funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the National Endowment for Democracy (NED).

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