Peru Expands Security Powers Request

Update September 9, 2026: The request was formalized as Bill No. 00098-2026-2031-CD, and the Constitution Committee summoned Premier Luis Galarreta to defend it in the September 9 session. The Economy Committee also agreed to call the economy minister and the head of Sunat, as criticism grew over the lack of technical specificity in the request.

Peru's Council of Ministers submitted to Congress a bill seeking legislative delegation for 120 calendar days, with 66 requests spread across eight subject areas, including citizen security, state modernization, economic reactivation and measures tied to organized crime. The proposal moved to the Constitution Committee, which has already summoned Council of Ministers President Luis Galarreta to explain the scope of the request.

What does the powers request include?

The bill submitted by the executive branch covers eight topics and totals 66 matters, according to reporting and the official gazette El Peruano. The main areas include citizen security, disaster risk management, small and micro businesses, employment, productive development, tax matters, administrative simplification and state modernization.

The official gazette described the initiative as an urgent request for Congress to authorize the executive branch to legislate for 120 calendar days. PQS also reported that the guidelines include digital transformation and digital security in both the public and private sectors, along with the digitization of state activities and services. Infobae Peru added that the package is mainly organized around three axes, citizen security, economic reactivation and emergency response tied to El Niño.

More recent sector coverage also said the package includes reforms in cybersecurity, digital governance, open finance and financial inclusion, within the state modernization and digital transformation axis.

What is happening with the security measures?

Within the security axis, one of the requested powers would amend telecom rules to track, geolocate and block cellphones used illegally. That point opens a regulatory front with possible effects on communications interception and geolocation data management, according to El Estado del Perú.

Congress's National Defense Committee issued a report finding the delegation viable in matters under its jurisdiction, as long as the 120-day limit and the specific authorized topics are respected. That opinion includes migration and nationality, tracking and blocking communication devices in prisons, weapons and explosives, the exceptional participation of the Armed Forces in detention facilities, the fight against organized crime and the classification of criminal organizations as terrorist groups.

Why is the scope of the request being criticized?

Giannina Avendaño, chair of the Constitution Committee, questioned the fact that the request includes 66 items across eight topics and warned that the document does not clearly support several of them. Her remarks add to doubts about the level of detail in the text submitted by the executive branch.

The Constitution Committee has declared itself in permanent session to review the initiative, which remains in procedural stages. It also summoned Council of Ministers President Luis Galarreta to defend the proposal and explain why the government seeks authority to legislate on 66 points in key areas such as citizen security and the economy.

The hearing is set for the September 9 session, when the premier must explain the scope of the bill and its 66 matters. The request is also formalized as Bill No. 00098-2026-2031-CD.

What did the government say about the urgency?

The government frames the request as a rapid response to public insecurity. Justice Minister Ernesto Álvarez said approving the powers responds to a citizen need and, in another interview, stressed that future legislative decrees would not be aimed only at raising penalties.

Álvarez said the goal is to strengthen the capacity of the National Police and police intelligence, as well as intelligence work by the Armed Forces, to capture criminal gangs. In comments to Expreso, he also linked the urgency of the request to a reform of the prison system and INPE, which would include building at least one mega-prison and effectively separating the most dangerous inmates.

How is the process moving through Congress?

The Constitution Committee decided to remain in permanent session and received requests to talk with caucuses in order to reach consensus on the text. According to RPP Noticias, the bill was sent to the Chamber of Deputies' Constitution Committee to continue its process, while the executive branch seeks to secure political support.

Perú Informa added that the PCM opened a round of outreach with different caucuses. Gestión reported that the government had to correct a formal objection and send the corrected record back to Congress, keeping the process open before any possible authorization to legislate.

In parallel, the Economy, Banking, Finance and Financial Intelligence Committee agreed to summon the economy minister and the head of Sunat to explain the package's economic reach, especially the sections tied to the tax regime, finance, and the open finance and financial inclusion components.

What other legislative track is moving in parallel?

Alongside the powers request, Congressman Leo De Paz Lancho introduced a bill to strengthen prevention, response, correction and reparations for harm caused by school harassment, bullying and cyberbullying committed by children and teenagers in the country's schools. The proposal includes concrete measures that go beyond simply recognizing the problem.

The text calls for the gradual and mandatory rollout of school psychologists in all schools within a maximum of 24 months, with differentiated protocols based on three levels of severity. In the most serious cases, it requires immediate notification of the National Police of Peru and the Public Ministry. It also sets up school-based restorative justice mechanisms, a mandatory Parent Co-responsibility Program for parents of repeat students, and quarterly registration and monitoring of each case by the CONEI, with a serious administrative offense for principals who fail to carry out that follow-up.