April 2026 in South America

General elections were held in Peru between 12–13 April, with a runoff scheduled for 7 June 2026 to elect the president, vice presidents and the national legislature. This was after the proposals to bring them forward to 2023 or 2024 due to the 2022–2023 Peruvian protests were rejected. The presidential elections will determine the president and the vice presidents, while the congressional elections will determine the composition of the Congress of Peru, which will return to being a bicameral legislature with a 60-seat Senate and 130-seat Chamber of Deputies. A record of 34 registered candidates entered the presidential race by December 2025. The last president, José Jerí, was removed from office in February 2026 by way of censure by a majority vote in Congress. In the months before the election, the power of Congress over the executive and judiciary was documented by observers who noted the importance of a new legislature.