While part of the electorate continues to closely follow the results of the second round of elections—which are now 99.7% complete (with 50.11% in favor of Keiko Fujimori)—and another segment is focused on the 2026 World Cup, the Congress of the Republic changed the rules for regional and municipal elections —October 2026—benefiting parties that do not meet the minimum number of candidates; it also approved, in the first reading, a bill stipulating that a member of the military or police may not be investigated simultaneously in the ordinary courts.
In the first case, the amendment was incorporated into Law 32657 and reduced the mandatory participation of political parties in regional elections from 50% to 30% in order to maintain party registration. This provision directly benefits political parties that did not meet the required minimum, including Fuerza Popular, the Cívico Obras Party, and the Buen Gobierno Party.
In the second case, the amendment to the Military and Police Penal Code allows crimes committed by active-duty military and police personnel to be tried exclusively by military and police courts—that is, not by the ordinary courts. The bill passed its first reading with 60 votes in favor, 34 against, and 10 abstentions, primarily from the Fuerza Popular and Renovación Popular caucuses. If approved in the second reading, the bill will be sent to the Executive Branch for review and, if no objections are raised, it will become law.
In this regard, the UN, through the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, called on the Peruvian government not to approve the bill in cases involving possible human rights violations, noting that such cases must remain under the jurisdiction of the ordinary courts. “Alleged human rights violations must be heard by a competent, independent, and impartial ordinary court, in accordance with international law,” the office stated.
