Indigenous people and political parties on the national stage from 1950 to 2026

Abstract

This article examines the relationship between Indigenous peoples and political parties in Peru from 1950 to 2026. It argues that political exclusion did not disappear with the formal expansion of citizenship; rather, it changed form. Restrictions on suffrage and the subordination of Indigenous people as rural subjects gradually gave way to incomplete electoral inclusion, mediated by political parties that rarely incorporate Indigenous agendas, authorities and forms of organization on a stable basis. The study combines historical sources from indigenismo and Indianismo, publications by Indigenous organizations, national and international law, case law and official electoral data. It discusses the 1969 Agrarian Reform, universal suffrage under the 1979 Constitution, the emergence of autonomous Indigenous organizations, subnational electoral quotas, prior consultation and the barriers to creating and sustaining political organizations. Official data for the 2026 General Elections identified 492 self-declared Indigenous candidates, representing only 6.6 per cent of all candidacies, even though approximately one quarter of Peru’s population self-identifies as belonging to an Indigenous or native people. The article concludes that the contemporary problem is not a total absence of Indigenous participation but persistent underrepresentation, fragmentation and dependence on external party structures. Democratic inclusion therefore requires mechanisms that ensure electable positions, organizational autonomy, linguistic and territorial accessibility, and effective participation in public decision-making.