The Socialist Party (

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

: ''Partido Socialista'') is a

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = National seal , national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...

vian political party founded in 2005. Its presidential candidate for the 2006 national election was

Javier Diez Canseco Javier Diez Canseco Cisneros (March 24, 1948 – May 4, 2013) was a Peruvian politician and member of the Peruvian Congress representing the Socialist Party of Peru (PS), of which he was a founding member and also served as its Party President ...

. At the

legislative A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country or city. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers of government. Laws enacted by legislatures are usually known ...

elections held on 9 April 2006, the party won 1.2% of the popular vote but no seats in the Congress of the Republic. At the 2011 general election, the party was part of the successful alliance

Peru Wins Peru Wins ( es, Gana Perú, GP) was a leftist electoral alliance in Peru formed for the 2011 general election. It was dominated by the Peruvian Nationalist Party and led by successful presidential candidate Ollanta Humala Tasso. Constituent pa ...

, led by

Ollanta Humala Lieutenant colonel Ollanta Moisés Humala Tasso (; born 27 June 1962) is a Peruvian politician and former military officer who served as President of Peru from 2011 to 2016. Originally a socialist and left-wing nationalist, he is considere ...

. Its founder, Javier Diez Canseco, became a congressman for Lima.

History

The Socialist Party traces its origins to the

Mariateguist Unified Party Mariateguist Unified Party (in Spanish: ''Partido Unificado Mariateguista – PUM'') was a political party in Peru founded in 1984 by Revolutionary Vanguard (VR), Revolutionary Left Movement (MIR), Workers Revolutionary Party (PRT) and a secto ...

, a member of the United Left coalition. The party eventually disappeared in the aftermath of the 1995 general election. Among its leaders,

rose as the most prominent of the left-leaning members of the

Peruvian Congress The Congress of the Republic of Peru ( es, Congreso de la República) is the unicameral body that assumes legislative power in Peru. Congress' composition is established by Chapter I of Title IV of the Constitution of Peru. Congress is compo ...

during the

Alberto Fujimori Alberto Kenya Fujimori Inomoto ( or ; born 28 July 1938) is a Peruvian politician, professor and former engineer who was President of Peru from 28 July 1990 until 22 November 2000. Frequently described as a dictator, * * * * * * he remains a ...

's second term as

President of Peru The president of Peru ( es, link=no, presidente del Perú), officially called the president of the Republic of Peru ( es, link=no, presidente de la República del Perú), is the head of state and head of government of Peru. The president is th ...

. The Fujimori administration had demonized the Peruvian left since 1992, as it associated with the

Shining Path The Shining Path ( es, Sendero Luminoso), officially the Communist Party of Peru (, abbr. PCP), is a communist guerrilla group in Peru following Marxism–Leninism–Maoism and Gonzalo Thought. Academics often refer to the group as the Commu ...

. Under these circumstances, the moderate left rallied behind

Union for Peru Union for Peru ( es, Unión por el Perú) was a Peruvian political party founded by Javier Pérez de Cuéllar, an ex- UN Secretary General, in 1994 to run for the Presidency of Peru in the 1995 general elections. Originally a social democratic pa ...

in order to maintain status in the political scene. The events surrounding Fujimori's reelection at the 2000 general election curtailed the administration, as the Peruvian left rose again in the opposition. With

Alan García Alan Gabriel Ludwig García Pérez (; 23 May 1949 – 17 April 2019) was a Peruvian politician who served as President of Peru for two non-consecutive terms from 1985 to 1990 and from 2006 to 2011. He was the second leader of the Peruvian Apri ...

of the

Peruvian Aprista Party 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 ...

returning to Peru in order to run for the presidency at the 2001 general election, the left had no choice but to support him against the more centrist

Alejandro Toledo Alejandro Celestino Toledo Manrique (; born 28 March 1946) is a Peruvian politician who served President of Peru, from 2001 to 2006. He gained international prominence after leading the opposition against president Alberto Fujimori, who held ...

attained 6 seats in the

, among them one for

. In 2005, Diez Canseco announced his intention to run for

at the 2006 general election under a new party based on the disappeared

. On 15 October 2005, the Socialist Party was founded, and in the subsequent months Diez Canseco was chosen as the presidential nominee. At the

general election A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...

held on 9 April 2006, the party won 1.2% of the popular vote but no seats in the Congress of the Republic. The presidential ticket itself attained 0.4%, placing ninth nationally. As the party failed to pass the electoral threshold, it lost its registration at the National Elections Jury 2007. For the 2011 general election, the party was included in the

coalition led by

as the presidential nominee. Diez Canseco was elected to the Congress for 2011–2016 term, but died in 2013. In 2012, Cesar Acurio Zavala, an engineer, a historical activist of mariateguism, was elected as Secretary General; and as Sub-Secretary General the former student leader of the UNMSM and deputy for the Unified Mariateguist Party, Julio Castro Gómez.

Ideology

The party is based on ''Mariateguismo'', a thought developed by

José Carlos Mariátegui José Carlos Mariátegui La Chira (June 14, 1894 - April 16, 1930) was a Peruvian writer, journalist, politician and Marxist–Leninist philosopher. A prolific author despite his early death, El Amauta (from Quechua: hamawt'a, "teacher", a ...

and the original construction of socialism in Peru based on the Peruvian reality. The Socialist Party advocates for participatory democracy, with effective decentralization, strengthening of social organizations, etc. In addition, the party is in favor of the nationalization of natural resources, the change of the productive matrix, sustainable development, defense of human rights and the historical demands of workers, women, youth, indigenous people, and all oppressed groups. On a more

green left The term green left refers primarily to a political affiliation that combines elements of green politics and left-wing politics in countries where the term is used. It is primarily a social justice and human rights oriented ideology, with an expa ...

platform, the party advocates for measures against environmental problems, and climate change. The party's ultimate goal is to forge a classless, diverse and creative society.

Structure and composition

The Socialist Party is mainly composed of a National Executive Committee organized in secretariats, such as program, regional affairs, environment, municipal, women, social movements, human movements and the youth wing. In March 2008, the Socialist Party called for a leadership election through the procedure of one member one vote, a pioneer in the Peruvian left.

Electoral results

Presidential election

Election to the Congress of the Republic

References

External links

Official website
{{Peruvian political parties 2005 establishments in Peru Democratic socialist parties in South America Foro de São Paulo Political parties established in 2005 Political parties in Peru Socialist parties in Peru