General elections were held in

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

on 11 October 1936.Elections and Events 1930-1949
The Library, UC San Diego In the presidential election,

Luis A. Eguiguren Luis Antonio Eguiguren Escudero (July 21, 1887 in Piura – August 15, 1967 in Lima) was a Peruvian educator, magistrate, historian and politician. He was the director of the Archivo General de la Nación del Perú, General Archive (File) of the ...

of the appeared to be heading for victory, but outgoing president

Óscar R. Benavides Óscar Raymundo Benavides Larrea (March 15, 1876 – July 2, 1945) was a Peruvian field marshal, diplomat, and politician who served as the 38th (1914 – 1915, by a coup d'etat) and 42nd (1933 – 1939) President of Peru. Early life He was ...

ordered the count to be stopped and the election results were subsequently annulled.

Background

Incumbent president Benavides' term of office was due to expire in December 1936. He announced that he would not run for re-election and called elections for 11 October. There were eighteen political parties in existence, but most ran as alliances in the election. Four candidates were approved to run for office, with the election commission barring

Víctor Raúl Haya de la Torre Víctor Raúl Haya de la Torre (February 22, 1895 – August 2, 1979) was a Peruvian politician, philosopher, and author who founded the American Popular Revolutionary Alliance (APRA) political movement, the oldest currently existing political p ...

of the

American Popular Revolutionary Alliance The Peruvian Aprista Party ( es, Partido Aprista Peruano, PAP) () is a Peruvian political party and a member of the Socialist International. The party was founded as the American Popular Revolutionary Alliance (APRA) by Víctor Raúl Haya de l ...

(APRA) under article 53 of the constitution, which banned 'international parties'. The APRA subsequently convinced Luis Antonio Eguiguren to disown the National Front of and organise his own Democratic Front, which the APRA called for its members to vote for.

Results

President

When it appeared Eguiguren was winning, Benavides ordered the count to be suspended on the basis that members of the banned APRA had voted for him. At the point it was stopped on 21 October, with 70 of the 119 provinces having completed the count, Eguiguren had 74,485 votes,La anulacion de las elecciones generales del 11 de octubre en el Peru por el Jurado Nacional
Laa Nacion, 6 November 1936, p11 or 37% of the total.

Aftermath

Under pressure from Benavides, on 4 November the outgoing Congress met and declared the election annulled. A motion by the

Revolutionary Union The General Workers' Union of Germany (german: Allgemeine Arbeiter-Union Deutschlands; AAUD) was a factory organisation formed following the German Revolution of 1918–1919 in opposition to the traditional trade unions. The AAUD was formed by the ...

that accused Benavides of having "presented the presidential and parliamentary elections of the period 1936–1941" was defeated by 64 votes to 13. Benavides subsequently forced Congress to pass a law extending his term until 1939 and then dissolved the legislature, instead ruling by decree and forming a new all-military government.

References

{{Peruvian elections

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

Presidential elections in Peru Election and referendum articles with incomplete results Annulled elections