The Key Congressional committees would be run by the parties that dominate the institution because this block – made up of the Alliance for Progress, Fuerza Popular (FP), Peru Libre, Avanza País and its allies – has enough votes to impose its proposal in the Board of Spokespersons and then in the Plenary.
At the closing of this note, sources from The Republic They reported that the Budget Commission would be awarded to Alliance for Progress (APP).
The Constitutional Commission and the Foreign Relations Committee would remain under the power of Fuerza Populara party that promotes a series of constitutional reforms against the National Justice Board (JNJ) and electoral bodies, and a law against NGOs.
The Justice Commission would continue under the presidency of Peru Libre. While the Oversight Commission would be headed by We can Peruand the Decentralization Commission would be led by We are Peru.
The Economic Commission and the Transport Commission would go to Popular Action.
This distribution has yet to be made official as the parties are still in negotiations.
On Monday, August 5, Congress approved the proposal for the members of the 24 ordinary committees. The Constitution, Decentralization, Economy, Education, Justice and Budget committees will have 26 members, the Intelligence committee will have 7 and the others will have 21 members.
24 commissions for 13 benches
The dilemma for the distribution of commissions has been the atomization of benches.
The 24 ordinary commissions that must be distributed among the 13 benches are not enough. 26 would be needed (see table).
TO People’s Force It is up to APP and Podemos to give 4, 3 each; Peru Libre, Popular Renewal, Popular Action, Teachers’ Bloc, Avanza País and Together for Peru 2 respectively, and the Somos Perú, Socialist Bench, Honor and Democracy and Popular Democratic Bloc groups would be given one per bench.
This division is made based on the number of members of each parliamentary group. The more congressmen make up the party, the more committees they will have to preside over.
In this context, some organisations have added legislators to their ranks who come from other parliamentary groups.
Congress: struggle to be the second political force between APP and Podemos
This Monday, APP incorporated Congressman Juan Carlos Lizarzaburu, who comes from Fuerza Popular. Last month it did the same with Jorge Marticorena, who was in Peru Libre and Peru Bicentenario, and is now alternate spokesperson.
The situation is similar with Podemos Peru, which has added to its bench the former spokesperson for Acción Popular, Darwin Espinoza, and other dissidents of Acción Populismo and various groups.
This is how a struggle has arisen between APP and Podemos to position themselves as the second political force in Congress, with a view to distributing commissions.
And this is no small matter: it is the ordinary committees that prepare, discuss and approve the opinions of the draft laws that the Plenary then deliberates on and gives the green light to.
The other important commissions at stake
In Congress there are 24 ordinary committees, 22 special committees, 6 investigative committees and the Ethics Committee, the Subcommittee on Constitutional Accusations and the Subcommittee on Political Control.
The only group that has officially announced that it will continue to chair special commissions is Avanza País. On August 2, this party announced on its social media that its legislators Rosselli Amuruz and Diana González will lead the Special Multiparty Commission Capital Peru and the Special Commission for Monitoring the 2027 Pan American Games.
Avanza País is also responsible for the Ethics Commission, an important committee that investigates the conduct of congressmen. Until the last legislature, it was chaired by Diego Bazán, who resigned from this group to return to Renovación Popular.
The Avanza País party will have to decide who will replace Bazán.
APP will continue to chair the Accusations Subcommittee, where constitutional complaints against senior officials, including legislators, are processed. This month, the term of APEP congresswoman Lady Camones ends.
Bench | Number of congressmen | Commissions that correspond to them |
People’s Force | twenty-one | 4 |
APP | 14 | 3 |
We can Peru | 13 | 3 |
Free Peru | eleven | 2 |
Popular Renewal | 10 | 2 |
Popular Action | 10 | 2 |
Magisterial Block | 8 | 2 |
Country moves forward | 8 | 2 |
Together for Peru | 8 | 2 |
We are Peru | 7 | 1 |
Socialist Bench | 5 | 1 |
Honor and Democracy | 5 | 1 |
Popular Democratic Bloc | 5 | 1 |
Total | 125 | 26 |