General elections were held in Peru on 17 June 1956 to elect the President and both houses of the Congress.Dieter Nohlen (2005) Elections in the Americas: A data handbook, Volume II, p454 Incumbent President Manuel A. Odría, who had seized dictatorial powers, was pressured to call the 1956 elections.
Manuel Prado Ugarteche of the Pradist Democratic Movement won the presidential election with 45.5% of the vote. They were the first elections in Peru in which women could vote,Nohlen, p450 and nine women were elected to Congress; Manuela Billinghurst, Alicia Blanco Montesinos, Lola Blanco Montesinos, María Colina Lozano, Matilde Pérez Palacio, Carlota Ramos de Santolaya, María Eleonora Silva Silva and Juana Ubilluz de Palacios were elected to the Chamber of Deputies, while Irene Silva de Santolalla became the first woman elected to the Senate.Primeras Mujeres Parlamentarias 1956-1962 Congress of Peru
Incumbent President Odría favored Hernando de Lavalle y Garcia.
Results President
Senate
Chamber of Deputies
References