Peruvian Communist Party

The oldest communist party in Peru is the Peruvian Communist Party (Partido Comunista Peruano),^[1] founded in 1928 by José Carlos Mariátegui, under the name Socialist Party of Peru (Partido Socialista del Perú).^[2] In 1930, the name was changed to Peruvian Communist Party. Jorge Del Prado was the party's General Secretary between 1966 and 1991.

The General Secretary is Roberto de la Cruz. The main political base of PCP-Unidad is located at Plaza Ramón Castilla, Lima and is led by Renán Raffo Muñoz. PCP publishes Unidad ("Unity") and Nuestra Bandera ("Our Banner").^[2]

Partido Comunista del Perú – Patria Roja

Another party that also considers itself the Communist Party of Peru is the Partido Comunista del Perú – Patria Roja.^[3] It was founded in 1970, and as of 2006 was headed by Alberto Moreno. It descends from the mainstream faction of PCP-Bandera Roja, which, in turn, originated as a Maoist faction within the Partido Comunista Peruano.^[2]

Partido Comunista Peruano

Both PCP-Bandera Roja and PCP-Unidad are named after their traditional press organs. The name "PCP-Unidad" is an informal designation; the official name of the PCP-Unidad is simply "Partido Comunista Peruano".

PCP-Mayoría

PCP-Mayoría operated around 1980: its members considered that PCP-Unidad had taken a Eurocommunist turn, while they themselves preferred a more hard-line Soviet stance.

Others

A few other groups consider themselves to the Communist Party of Peru. The best known is the one known as the "Shining Path" (a name that the group does not use).^[2] This armed group, regarded by the Peruvian state as a terrorist organization, is an offshoot of PCP-Bandera Roja, which split from it in the early 1970s.^[2] The "Shining Path" considers PCP-Patria Roja and PCP-Unidad to be revisionist; it assassinated several of their militants and elected officials.