Recall in Perú: Institutional design and results of its application

Abstract

Since the end of the 80s, after the decline of the Welfare States and the rise of the Hearing Democracy, a large part of Western democracies entered a phase of "crisis of representation". Faced with this scenario, several Latin American countries Undertook constitutional reforms in which, among other changes, citizen participation mechanisms were incorporated, such as the recall. This tool of societal accountability allows citizens to dismiss elected representatives through voting. Peru incorporated it in its Constitution of 1993 together with other instruments of direct democracy, although with limited scope to the authorities of the regional and local levels. This country was emblematic in the continent in terms of the frequency and number of times it used the recall, although not always with desirable results in terms of citizen control and overcoming legitimacy crises of the rulers. On the contrary, its Undue and excessive use has caused problems of local governance. This article analyzes the institutional design of the recall in Peru and its results, both positive and negative, for the democratic quality and institutional stability.