Senate of the Republic of Peru

The Senate of Peru is the upper chamber of the Congress of the Republic of Peru. The institution forms part of Peru's restored bicameral legislative system, alongside the 130-member Chamber of Deputies. Under the structure described for the restored chamber, the Senate consists of 60 directly elected members serving five-year terms. Senators may be elected through a nationwide constituency or through multi-member constituencies, with the chamber's seats divided equally between these two electoral routes. The Senate's principal constitutional role is to review and ratify legislation approved by the Chamber of Deputies. It also exercises specified appointment responsibilities, including selecting the director of the Central Bank and the president of the Court of Auditors. The chamber is led by a President of the Senate, supported administratively by a Secretary General. Miki Torres has served as president of the chamber since 26 July 2026, according to the referenced article. The restored institution incorporates a gender-representation rule under which half of the seats in the Senate, as well as half of the seats in the Chamber of Deputies, are allocated equally between men and women in alternating order. The arrangement is intended to produce balanced representation through an alternating candidate or seat sequence. The referenced description also states that, where one sex reaches the maximum share assigned to it, voting proceeds with candidates of the other sex. Peru previously operated with a unicameral Congress after the Senate was abolished. The Senate was re-established after a legislative assembly vote in 2024, despite a 2018 referendum in which 90.52% of voters reportedly supported retaining a unicameral system. The restoration vote was recorded as 91 representatives in favor, 30 against, and one abstention. The institution therefore represents a significant constitutional and political reversal: a return to bicameralism following an earlier public rejection of that model. The Senate also has a historical relationship with the Inter-Parliamentary Union's Parline database. It was represented in the database during 1925–1927, 1956–1969, and in 1983, within the Group of Latin America and the Caribbean. Earlier sittings of the Peruvian Senate were held in the Museum of Congress and the Inquisition, reflecting the institution's historical connection with Peru's parliamentary heritage. As a public legislative institution rather than a commercial organization, the Senate does not offer consumer products, operate as a listed company, or compete in a conventional market. Its public-facing functions are lawmaking, legislative scrutiny, constitutional appointments, parliamentary debate, and representation of the Peruvian electorate.

The Senate of Peru is part of the country's long-running debate over the appropriate structure of national representation. Historically, Peru maintained a Senate as part of a bicameral Congress. The chamber's earlier parliamentary activity included sittings in the Museum of Congress and the Inquisition, an institution associated with Peru's legislative and constitutional history. The Senate was also represented in the Inter-Parliamentary Union's Parline records during 1925–1927, 1956–1969, and in 1983, under the Group of Latin America and the Caribbean. At a later point, Peru abolished the Senate and operated with a unicameral Congress. This institutional change was consistent with the result of a 2018 referendum, in which 90.52% of voters reportedly supported maintaining a unicameral legislature. The referendum result created a political and constitutional backdrop against which later efforts to restore the upper chamber were contested. In 2024, a legislative assembly voted to restore bicameralism and re-establish the Senate. The reported vote was 91 representatives in favor, 30 against, and one abstention. The decision reversed the prior unicameral arrangement despite the earlier referendum result. The restored structure placed the Senate above the Chamber of Deputies within a two-chamber Congress, assigning the Senate a reviewing and ratifying role rather than making it the sole national legislative body. The restored Senate is described as having 60 directly elected members, each serving a five-year term. Its electoral design combines nationwide and multi-member constituencies, with the two routes receiving equal shares of the chamber's seats. The Senate is also subject to a gender-representation rule that divides half of the seats equally between men and women in alternating order, a mechanism also applied to the Chamber of Deputies. The stated purpose of the arrangement is to ensure balanced representation between the sexes. The chamber's responsibilities extend beyond ordinary legislative review. It examines and ratifies bills produced by the Chamber of Deputies and participates in the appointment of important public officials, including the director of the Central Bank and the president of the Court of Auditors. Its internal leadership is headed by the President of the Senate, with administrative coordination assigned to the Secretary General. Miki Torres is identified as president from 26 July 2026. The available reference material describes the Senate as operating after the 2026 elections. Because the supplied material is limited and concerns a recently restored institutional arrangement, detailed information about party composition, committee organization, legislative output, membership, and subsequent constitutional developments is not included here. The Senate should therefore be understood primarily as a public constitutional institution rather than a commercial brand: its significance lies in representation, lawmaking, review of legislation, and checks on other state bodies.

• 2026

  Senate resumes after the 2026 elections

  [1]Senate of Peruen.wikipedia.org

  The restored Senate began operating as the 60-member upper chamber of Peru's Congress following the 2026 elections.

• 2026

  Miki Torres becomes Senate president

  [1]Senate of Peruen.wikipedia.org

  Miki Torres has presided over the chamber since 26 July 2026.

• 2024

  Legislative assembly votes to restore the Senate

  [1]Senate of Peruen.wikipedia.org

  A legislative assembly approved the return to bicameralism by 91 votes to 30, with one abstention.

• 2018

  Referendum favors continued unicameralism

  [1]Senate of Peruen.wikipedia.org

  A referendum reportedly produced a 90.52% vote in favor of maintaining Peru's unicameral legislative arrangement.

• 1983

  Later IPU Parline representation

  [1]Senate of Peruen.wikipedia.org

  The institution is recorded as participating in Parline in 1983 under the Group of Latin America and the Caribbean.

• 1956

  Senate appears again in IPU Parline records

  [1]Senate of Peruen.wikipedia.org

  The Senate was again represented in the Parline records during 1956–1969.

• 1925

  Historical participation in IPU Parline begins

  [1]Senate of Peruen.wikipedia.org

  The Peruvian Senate was represented in the Inter-Parliamentary Union's Parline records during the 1925–1927 period as part of the Latin America and Caribbean geopolitical group.

Upper chamber of Peru's bicameral national legislature, intended to provide legislative review, territorial and national representation, and institutional checks within Congress.

• 2026

  Implementation of the restored SenateOther

  Background

  Following the restoration decision, the Senate returned as part of the bicameral Congress after the 2026 elections.

  Action taken

  The chamber was constituted with 60 directly elected members serving five-year terms, using nationwide and multi-member constituency routes.

  Aftermath

  The Senate resumed its role in reviewing and ratifying legislation passed by the Chamber of Deputies and in appointing specified public officials.

  Source

• 2024

  Restoration of bicameralismStrategy

  Background

  Peru had previously abolished its Senate and operated with a unicameral Congress. The restoration vote followed a 2018 referendum that reportedly favored retaining unicameralism.

  Action taken

  A legislative assembly voted to re-establish the Senate as the upper house of Congress. The reported vote was 91 in favor, 30 against, and one abstention.

  Aftermath

  The decision created a two-chamber Congress consisting of the 60-member Senate and the 130-member Chamber of Deputies, with the Senate assigned legislative review and specified appointment powers.

  Source

• 2026

  Senate returns following the 2026 elections[1]Senate of Peruen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  The Senate resumed operation as the upper house of Peru's Congress following the reinstatement of bicameralism and the 2026 elections. The chamber is described as having 60 directly elected members serving five-year terms.

• 2026

  Miki Torres presides over the Senate[1]Senate of Peruen.wikipedia.org

  Leadership change

  Miki Torres became President of the Senate on 26 July 2026, according to the referenced account of the chamber's leadership.

• 2024

  Peru restores a bicameral Congress[1]Senate of Peruen.wikipedia.org

  Regulation

  A legislative assembly voted to re-establish the Senate and restore bicameralism after Peru had operated with a unicameral Congress. The reported vote was 91 in favor, 30 opposed, and one abstention.

1. 1Senate of Peruen.wikipedia.org