Opposition lawmakers in Peru's Chamber of Deputies have rejected the Executive's request for delegated legislative powers across six parliamentary committees, delivering a major setback to the administration.
Negative opinions have prevailed in six panels, with two committees formally approving unfavorable reports and four others rejecting proposals that backed the government's decree-making request. So far, the administration has managed to secure favorable opinions in only two committees.
In the Energy and Mines Committee, chaired by Juntos por el Perú Deputy Yenifer Paredes, lawmakers voted 11 to eight to approve a report declaring the delegation of powers in mining and hydrocarbons non-viable. The report stated that proposals allowing private firms to expand mineral and hydrocarbon exploration, alongside unspecified legal protections for mining operations, required broader debate among civil society, deputies, and senators.
Similarly, the Justice and Human Rights Committee, led by Deputy Catherin Palomino of Juntos por el Perú, approved an unfavorable report by 11 votes to four. The committee recommended against granting special powers to the Executive in prison management and judicial reform.
Opposition Rejects Decrees in Science and Transport
Four other committees defeated reports that proposed granting powers to the government. In the Science, Technology and Environment Committee, a report concluded it was technically viable to grant powers for administrative simplification, bureaucratic barrier removal, regulatory quality, and digital transformation. However, opposition deputies defeated the measure by nine votes to seven, with one abstention. Votes in favor came from Fuerza Popular and one from Renovación Popular.
The single abstention came from Deputy Hilda Judit Fernández of Partido del Buen Gobierno. Her office stated after the vote that she was unavailable for comment before publication.
The Infrastructure, Housing and Transport Committee, chaired by Luis Quispe Candia of Partido del Buen Gobierno, opted to vote directly without drafting a formal report. Lawmakers rejected the executive request by 11 votes to six, with only Fuerza Popular deputies voting in favor. Deputy Jeeny Samanez of the Obras party and a member of Renovación Popular abstained.
In the Production Committee, opposition votes defeated a favorable report by 10 to eight, with Fuerza Popular and Renovación Popular voting in favor while Deputy Andrea Medina of Obras abstained. Meanwhile, the Labor Committee, chaired by Fuerza Popular Deputy Eduardo Castillo, saw its favorable report rejected after 10 opposition deputies voted against it.
Economy Panel Prepares Next Vote as Minister Misses Session
The Economy Committee is set to debate and present its own report on Monday, September 14. During its latest session, Economy Minister Elmer Cuba was absent, stating that he had already presented the administration's arguments to the Constitution Committee.
The Economy panel is chaired by Deputy José Marcelo Salazar of Ahora Nación. Because Salazar belongs to the opposition block, the committee is expected to issue a report concluding that granting powers in economic matters is non-viable.
In Peru, the Executive branch routinely requests delegated legislative powers from Congress to enact decree-laws on specific technical, economic, and security matters without undergoing full parliamentary debate. When Congress grants powers, the government can issue legislative decrees within a set timeframe, though parliamentary committees first review each area to determine viability.
Split Votes and Missteps in the Democratic Block
Several deputies from the self-styled Democratic Block, particularly from Obras and Partido del Buen Gobierno, chose to abstain rather than vote directly with the main opposition block. In addition to Fernández in Science, Obras Deputy Andrea Medina abstained in Production, while her party colleague Jeeny Samanez abstained in Infrastructure.
Internal missteps enabled the government's only two committee wins. In the Environment and Sustainability Committee, chaired by Fuerza Popular spokesperson Arturo Alegría, Samanez voted in favor while Medina abstained. The resulting tie allowed Alegría to cast the deciding vote to approve a favorable opinion for the administration.
Addressing the vote, Obras spokesperson and Deputy Víctor Piñán told news outlet La República that the outcome stemmed from a lack of internal coordination between the two deputies. Piñán said the party had met with them to correct the misstep, adding that subsequent committee votes demonstrated the party's alignment with the opposition in rejecting executive powers.
Piñán stated that Obras would only support granting legislative powers on two urgent national priorities: citizen security and tackling the El Niño phenomenon. He stressed that the party agreed not to grant decree powers for any other subject.
Defense Committee Approves Powers with Partial Support
The administration secured its second favorable opinion in the Defense Committee, chaired by Renovación Popular Deputy Alex Segura. In that vote, Obras deputies Máximo Peralta and Andrea Medina abstained, marking Medina's third abstention across committee sessions.
Meanwhile, Partido del Buen Gobierno deputies Luis Quispe Candia and Edwin Espinoza voted in favor of the Defense report. Both lawmakers noted that their votes were cast while maintaining specific reservations raised by their party, which is led by former minister Jorge Nieto.
Fuerza Popular is the right-wing party led by former presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori, while Juntos por el Perú represents a left-wing coalition. Parties such as Obras, Partido del Buen Gobierno, and Ahora Nación form part of a broader, fragmented opposition in Peru's unicameral parliament, where committee opinions play a key role before any full floor vote on delegated powers.
