1980 general elections
General elections that gave victory to Acción Popular with more than 36% of the votes, marking the return to democracy. On the same day, the first armed action by Sendero Luminoso took place in Chuschi, Ayacucho.
The general elections of May 1980 marked the return to democracy in Peru after the military government. Acción Popular (AP) obtained a clear victory, surpassing by far the required 36%. In the Andean South, AP won a majority in the departments of Apurimac, Cuzco and Madre de Dios, except in Puno where there was a strong regional party. These elections were the framework for the first violent action of the PCP-Sendero Luminoso in the remote Ayacucho town of Chuschi.