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What's Being Done On . . . Breakthrough Elections ?
Peru's Presidential and Legislative Elections, April 8 and June 3, 2001 Background | Organizations Working on Elections in Peru | Other links Background In the presidential election in May 2000, monitors from the international community ended their activities before the second round, having determined that the elections could not take place in a free and fair manner, and in accordance with international standards. Despite the harsh criticism voiced by the international community, President Alberto Fujimori was re-elected for a constitutionally questionable third term. His re-election destablized Peru as groups mobilized to call for him to step down. In September 2000, the illegal activities of Vladimiro Montesinos, the President's adviser, were uncovered, leading the President to resign, and new presidential and legislative elections were scheduled. These elections took place on April 8, 2001, and the presidential run-off took place on June 3. Peru's 2001 elections represented an enormous feat in the process of restoring democracy in Peru. Not only did interim President Valentin Paniagua's government place Peru back on the democratic path, but the 2001 election process also demonstrated the clear desire of the Peruvian people for political, economic and social progress. The interim government appointed many new electoral officials and removed almost all officials from Fujimori's regime. In the June 3 run-off, Alejandro Toledo of Peru Posible won with 52.2 percent of the vote to 47.8 percent for Alan García Perez's Partido Aprista Peruano. In the legislative election on April 8, Toledo's Peru Posible won 41 out of 120 contested seats, the Alianza Popular Revolucionaria Americana (APRA-American Popular Revolutionary Alliance) gained 29, the conservative Unity Party won 15, and Change 90-New Majority, the party created originally to back Fujimori, fell from 52 to 4 seats. Organizations Working on Elections in Peru Asociación Civil Transparencia - Civil Organization for Transparency www.transparencia.org.pe Asociación Civil Transparencia, a civic organization, conducted a broad range of activities that helped to ensure the integrity of the 2001 elections. Transparencia gathered over 20,000 observers for both rounds of the presidential election and also organized a televised debate between the two presidential candidates before the run-off. Transparencia also presented a "quick count" of votes on election day. Consejo por la Paz - Council for Peace Consejo por la Paz, a Peruvian civil society organization, conducted domestic electoral observation programs and voter education in challenging regions. The project aimed to strengthen the rule of law and democracy through the implementation of voter-education activities and electoral observation in sensitive areas formerly controlled by the army. International Foundation for Election Systems - IFES www.ifes.org/ United States Agency for International Development - AID www.usaid.gov IFES responded immediately to the political vacuum created by President Alberto Fujimori's resignation with technical assistance and training for Peru's National Electoral Process Office, known as ONPE. USAID, working through IFES, organized an electoral assistance effort that enabled the ONPE to go from a skeletal operation to one that could effectively train election officials in more than 90,000 polling stations across Peru. Whereas the 2000 presidential election was marred by fraudulent practices, the technical assistance USAID provided through IFES helped the ONPE organize elections that were widely hailed as transparent and well organized. First and second round voter turnout in excess of 80 percent demonstrated the Peruvians' renewed commitment to democracy. With the help of USAID, IFES facilitated a dialogue among Peruvian NGOs, officials at ONPE, and other institutions of the Peruvian government. National Democratic Institute for International Affairs - NDI www.ndi.org/worldwide/lac/peru/peru.asp Carter Center www.cartercenter.org/ NDI and the Carter Center monitored pre-election conditions for both the 2000 and 2001 elections. Activities included two pre-election assessment missions and observer missions to the April 8 and June 3, 2001 elections. The April mission was led by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and former Guatemalan President, Ramiro de Leon Carpio. The June mission was led by NDI Chairman and former Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright, Ramiro de Leon Carpio, and former Costa Rican President Rodrigo Carazo. Other Links Defensoría del Pueblo - Office of Ombudsman of Peru www.ombudsman.gob.pe Jurado Nacional de Elecciones - National Review Board for Elections www.jne.gob.pe Oficina Nacional de Procesos Electorales - ONPE: National Office of Electoral Processes www.onpe.gob.pe Organization of American States - OAS www.upd.oas.org/EOM/ReportsEOM.htm About "What's Being Done On . . . " For three months at a time, we highlight the activities of various organizations in different global regions, and links to important resources, that are focused on a particular theme or area of democracy work. Each new theme is announced via DemocracyNews, and the information from the previous installment is placed in the archives below. We hope to receive and post information about the work you or others may be doing that is focused on these issues. Send information via e-mail to the or by fax to (202) 378-9889. |
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