The Constituent Assembly was the tenth Constituent Assembly of Peru, convened by the government of General Francisco Morales Bermudez to facilitate the return of democracy following a decade of the self-styled Revolutionary Government of the Armed Forces. It was settled on 28 July 1978 and was led by Víctor Raúl Haya de la Torre, historical leader of the American Popular Revolutionary Alliance. Its main mission was to develop a new constitution replacing the old 1933 Constitution. This new Constitution was enacted and promulgated on 12 July 1979, and entered into force on 28 July 1980, on the opening of the constitutional government of the architect Fernando Belaúnde Terry. It was replaced 14 years later by the 1993 Constitution.
Composition and Structure
Board Víctor Raúl Haya de la Torre, President Luis Alberto Sánchez, First Vice President and Constitution Committee Chairman Ernesto Alayza Grundy, Second Vice President Jorge Lozada Stanbury, First Secretary Rafael Vega García, Second Secretary Manuel Adrianzen Castillo, Pro Secretary Carlos Roca, Librarian Pro Secretary Moisés Woll Dávila, Treasurer
Representatives Peruvian Aprista Party 1. Víctor Raúl Haya de la Torre 2. Ramiro Prialé 3. Andrés Townsend 4. Fernando León de Vivero 5. Carlos Manuel Cox 6. Luis Heysen 7. Carlos Enrique Melgar 8. Carlos Enrique Ferreyros 9. Javier Valle Riestra 10. Luis Rodríguez Vildosola 11. Héctor Vargas Haya 12. Humberto Carranza Piedra 13. Eulogio Tapia Olarte 14. Lucio Muñiz Flores 15. Luis Rivera Tamayo 16. Jorge Lozada Stanbury 17. Alfonso Ramos Alva 18. Alan García Pérez 19. Gustavo García Mundaca 20. Mario Peláez Bazán 21. Julio Cruzado Zavala 22. Luis Alberto Sánchez 23. Romualdo Biaggi Rodríguez 24. Guillermo Baca Aguinaga 25. Jorge Torres Vallejo 26. Saturnino Berrospi Mendez 27. Carlos Roca 28. Urbina Julve Ciriaco 29. Lucio Galarza Villar 30. Arnaldo Alvarado 31. Luis Negreiros 32. Josmell A. Muñoz Córdova 33. Enrique Chirinos Soto 34. Francisco Chirinos Soto 35. Arturo Miranda Valenzuela 36. Pedro Arana Quiroz 37. César Vizcarra Vargas
Christian People's Party 38. Luis Bedoya Reyes 39. Federico Tovar Freire 40. Xavier Barrón 41. Alberto Thorndike Elmore 42. Andrés Aramburu Menchaca 43. Clohaldo Salazar Penailillo 44. Mario Polár Ugarteche 45. Roberto Ramírez del Villar 46. Óscar Olivares Montano 47. Edwin Montesinos Ruiz 48. Rafael Vega García 49. Lauro Muñoz Garay 50. Ernesto Alayza Grundy 51. Moisés Woll Dávila 52. Manuel Kawashito Nagana 53. Pedro Gotuzzo Fernandini 54. Gabriela Porto Cárdenas de Power 55. Rafael Risco Boado 56. Genix Ruiz Hidalgo 57. Miguel Ángel Arévalo del Valle 58. Jorge Neyra Bisso 59. Celso Sotomarino Chávez 60. Armando Buendía Gutiérrez 61. Miguel Ángel Mufarech Nemy 62. Ruben Chang Gamarra
Popular Workers Student Farmers Front 63. Hugo Blanco 64. Genaro Ledesma 65. Magda Benavides Morales 66. Hernán Cuentas Anci 67. German Chamba Calle 68. Ricardo Napuri Schapiro 69. Enrique Fernández Chacón 70. Juan Cornejo Gómez 71. César Augusto Mateu Moya 72. Romain Ovidio Montoya Chávez 73. Victoriano Lázaro Gutiérrez 74. Saturnino Paredes Macedo
Peruvian Communist Party 75. Raúl Acosta Salas 76. Eduardo Castillo Sánchez 77. Luis Alberto Delgado Bejar 78. Jorge del Prado 79. Isodoro Gamarra Ramírez 80. Alejandro Olivera
Revolutionary Socialist Party 81. Antonio Aragón Gallegos 82. Miguel Echeandía Urbina 83. Avelino Mar Arias 84. Antonio Meza Cuadra 85. Leonidas Rodríguez Figueroa 86. Alberto Ruiz Eldredge
Popular Democratic Union 87. Carlos Malpica Silva Santisteban 88. Javier Diez Canseco 89. Ricardo Díaz Chávez 90. Víctor Cuadros Paredes
Workers and Farmers National Front 91. Pedro Cáceres Velásquez 92. Roger Cáceres Velásquez 93. Ernesto Sánchez Fajardo 94. Jesús Veliz Lizarraga
Christian Democrat Party 95. Héctor Cornejo Chávez 96. Carlos Arturo Moretti Ricardi
Peruvian Democratic Movement 97. Marco Antonio Garrido Malo 98. Javier Ortiz de Zevallos
Odriist National Union 99. Manuel Adrianzen Castillo 100. Víctor Freundt Rosell
Innovations of the Constitution The main innovations of this Constitution, compared to its predecessor, were:
The President, the two Vice-Presidents and members of Congress (deputies and senators) would be elected jointly every five years in general elections (previous renovations were abolished parliamentary by thirds or halves) The set up the second round of the elections for President, should not reach more than half (50% plus one) of the votes validly cast Strengthened the authority of the President of the Republic. This could be seen "in whole or in part" the bills passed in Congress and could dissolve the House of Deputies if it censured three of the Presidential Cabinet. Could also grant pardons and commute sentences. It also gave him more power over the budget, which allowed a greater capacity to implement its policies. Corrected parliamentary excessive powers referred to in the Constitution of 1933 Limited death penalty only for cases of treason in foreign war. It was abolished for crimes like murder and others included in the law. Established citizenship for all Peruvians from 18 years (before the minimum age was 21 years) It repealed the restriction on voting by illiterate Watched the insurgency right (obviously, to defend the constitutional order and not to alter or bruise) Created the Constitutional Tribunal of Peru, as the controlling body of the Constitution On the economic side, the rules would be the social market economy, corporate pluralism and freedom of trade and industry