Communism in Peru

Topics: Political parties in Peru

Several different left-oriented organizations refer to themselves as the Communist Party of Peru or similar names. Some are still active, others have disappeared and some joined the ranks of Shining Path or the MRTA, which participated in the internal conflict in Peru. Many of the parties are known by nicknames relating to their respective newspapers.

According to Broadleft.org [*], the oldest communist party in Peru is the Partido Comunista Peruano (PCP) - Unidad [http://pcp.miarroba.com ], founded in 1928, by Jose Carlos Mariategui, under the name Partido Socialista del Peru. In 1930 the name was changed to PCP. PCP is often identified as PCP [Unidad], to separate it from other parties with similar names. Jorge Del Prado was the general secretary between 1966 and 1991. The main political base of PCP-Unidad is currently located at Plaza Ramon Castilla, Lima and is led by Renan Raffo Munoz. PCP publishes Unidad ("Unity") and Nuestra Bandera ("Our Banner").

Another party that also considers itself the Communist Party of Peru is the Partido Comunista del Peru Patria Roja [*], founded in 1970, and now, as of 2006, headed by Alberto Moreno. It descends from the mainstream fraction of PCP-Bandera Roja, which, in turn, originated as a Maoist fraction within the Partido Comunista Peruano.