On 25 July, just one day after Peru’s first bicameral Congress in 33 years was sworn in, two competing coalitions formally registered their candidate slates for the presidencies of both the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies. The officialist bloc, anchored by the party of President-elect Keiko Fujimori, and a multiparty opposition alliance each submitted lists, setting up a high-stakes leadership election on 26 July that will shape the legislative agenda for the 2026-2031 term. With each bloc holding exactly half of the 60 Senate seats, the vote is poised to test the cohesion of the freshly installed chamber and could trigger a constitutional puzzle if a tie proves unbreakable.

The officialist ticket pairs Fuerza Popular (FP) with the conservative Renovación Popular (RP). It proposes Miguel Torres (FP) for Senate president, flanked by Alejandro Muñante (RP) as first vice-president, alongside Nilza Chacón (FP) and Edgar Mancha (RP). In the Chamber of Deputies, the FP-RP alliance has put forward Norma Yarrow (RP) for president, with Karina Beteta (FP) as her first vice-president. Fuerza Popular lawmakers argue that aligning the legislative leadership with the incoming executive—Keiko Fujimori assumes the presidency on 28 July—would facilitate governability and avoid ideological obstruction during a period of economic and security challenges.

The opposition counter-proposal, branded “Consenso por la Democracia,” brings together Juntos por el Perú (JP), Ahora Nación (AN), Partido Cívico Obras and Partido del Buen Gobierno. Their Senate slate is headed by Daniel Barragán (Obras), with Jaime Quito (JP), Jaime Delgado (AN) and Nora Bonifaz (Buen Gobierno) as vice-presidents. The Chamber slate is led by Óscar Reto (Buen Gobierno), accompanied by Analí Márquez (JP), Harvey Colchado (AN) and José Yataco (Obras). Leaders of this bloc have publicly framed their alliance as a democratic counterweight to prevent concentration of power, pointing to the Executive’s sway over institutions such as the Constitutional Tribunal and the Public Prosecutor’s Office. Within the bloc, JP legislators used the swearing-in ceremony to call for a new constitution and the release of former president Pedro Castillo, while other groups stress fiscal oversight and corruption investigations.

The revived bicameral system allocates significant powers to the Senate, including the election of Constitutional Tribunal magistrates, the Ombudsman, and Central Bank directors, as well as the ratification of international treaties. Analysts in Lima caution that a 30-30 deadlock could paralyse the chamber if no candidate obtains a majority. The current president of the preparatory junta, Miguel Torres, is himself a candidate, raising procedural questions should he be required to cast a tie-breaking vote. The election of the Senate mesa directiva is scheduled for midday on Sunday, with the vote for the Chamber of Deputies following at 17:00. The newly elected Andean Parliament delegates are due to be sworn in on 27 July, a day after the legislative leadership votes.