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1939 Peruvian constitutional referendum

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1939 Peruvian constitutional referendum

18 June 1939 (1939-06-18)

OutcomeAmendments declared unconstitutional by Congress
Results
Choice
Votes %
Yes 368,813 87.82%
No 51,132 12.18%

A constitutional referendum was held in Peru on 18 June 1939.[1] The proposed changes were approved by 88% of voters.[1] Following the referendum, Manuel Prado Ugarteche was elected President on 4 December.

On 6 August 1945 the Congress passed a Law 10334, which declared the amendments unconstitutional, as they were not passed in line with Article 236 of the 1933 constitution.

Background

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In 1933 Congress elected Óscar R. Benavides to serve the remainder of President Luis Miguel Sánchez Cerro's five-year term in office.[1] In the 1936 presidential elections no candidate received a majority of the vote. Due to this, and one candidate being supported by the banned American Popular Revolutionary Alliance, the Electoral Tribunal later declared the election invalid.[1] Congress subsequently extended Benavides' term until 1939 and allowed him to rule by decree.[1]

On 19 April 1939 he issued Law 8875 calling for a referendum on constitutional reform. The changes included setting six-year terms for both the Congress (although one third of members would be elected every two years) and the President.[1]

Results

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Choice Votes %
For 368,813 87.83
Against 51,132 12.17
Invalid/blank votes
Total 419,945 100
Registered voters/turnout
Source: Direct Democracy

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Peru, 18 June 1939: Constitutional reform Direct Democracy (in German)