1980 Peruvian general election

{{Infobox election

| country = Peru

| flag_year = state

| election_date = 18 May 1980

| module = {{Infobox election

| embed = yes

| type = presidential

| election_name = Presidential election

| previous_election = 1963 Peruvian general election

| previous_year = 1963

| next_election = 1985 Peruvian general election

| next_year = 1985

| image1 = 160x150px

| nominee1 = Fernando Belaúnde Terry

| party1 = Popular Action (Peru)

| running_mate1 = Fernando Schwalb
Javier Alva Orlandini

| popular_vote1 = 1,793,190

| percentage1 = 44.93%

| image2 = 160x150px

| nominee2 = Armando Villanueva

| party2 = American Popular Revolutionary Alliance

| running_mate2 =

| popular_vote2 = 1,087,188

| percentage2 = 27.24%

| title = President

| before_election = Francisco Morales Bermúdez

| before_party = Revolutionary Government of the Armed Forces

| after_election = Fernando Belaúnde Terry

| after_party = Popular Action (Peru)

| map_image = 150px150px

| map_size =

| map_caption = Results by department (left) and province (right)

| module = {{Infobox legislative election

| embed = yes

| election_name = Congressional election

| previous_election = 1978

| next_election = 1985

| first_election = yes

| heading1 = Senate

| leader1 = Fernando Belaúnde

| party1 = Popular Action (Peru)

| seats1 = 26

| percentage1 = 40.92

| leader2 = Armando Villanueva

| party2 = American Popular Revolutionary Alliance

| seats2 = 18

| percentage2 = 27.62

| leader3 = Luis Bedoya Reyes

| party3 = PPC

| color3 = #008000

| seats3 = 6

| percentage3 = 9.31

| party4 = UNIR

| leader4 = Horacio Zevallos

| color4 = #49b848

| seats4 = 2

| percentage4 = 4.56

| party5 = PRT

| leader5 = Hugo Blanco

| color5 = #954535

| seats5 = 2

| percentage5 = 3.99

| party6 = United Left

| leader6 = Alfonso Barrantes

| color6 = #800000

| seats6 = 2

| percentage6 = 3.53

| party7 = UDP

| leader7 = Javier Diez Canseco

| color7 = {{party color|Popular Democratic Unity}}

| seats7 = 2

| percentage7 = 3.50

| party8 = FRENATRACA

| leader8 = Roger Cáceres

| color8 = {{party color|National Front of Workers and Peasants}}

| seats8 = 1

| percentage8 = 2.24

| party9 = FOCEP

| leader9 = Genaro Ledesma

| color9 = {{party color|Worker Peasant Student and Popular Front}}

| seats9 = 1

| percentage9 = 1.68

| heading10 = Chamber of Deputies

| leader10 = Fernando Belaúnde

| party10 = Popular Action (Peru)

| seats10 = 98

| percentage10 = 38.92

| leader11 = Armando Villanueva

| party11 = American Popular Revolutionary Alliance

| seats11 = 58

| percentage11 = 26.51

| leader12 = Luis Bedoya Reyes

| party12 = PPC

| color12 = #008000

| seats12 = 10

| percentage12 = 9.60

| party16 = United Left

| leader16 = Alfonso Barrantes

| color16 = #800000

| seats16 = 10

| percentage16 = 3.44

| party17 = FRENATRACA

| leader17 = Roger Cáceres

| color17 = {{party color|National Front of Workers and Peasants}}

| seats17 = 4

| percentage17 = 2.57

}}}}}}{{Politics of Peru}}

General elections were held in Peru on 18 May 1980 for the first time since 1963 to elect the President and both houses of the Congress.Dieter Nohlen (2005) Elections in the Americas: A data handbook, Volume II, p454 {{ISBN|978-0-19-928358-3}} Former President Fernando Belaúnde Terry of the Popular Action won the presidential election with 44.9% of the vote, whilst his party emerged as the largest party in both houses of Congress.

The size of Belaúnde's victory was considered unexpected.{{Citation |last=Cotler |first=Julio |title=Peru since 1960 |date=1991 |work=The Cambridge History of Latin America: Volume 8: Latin America since 1930: Spanish South America |volume=8 |pages=451–508 |editor-last=Bethell |editor-first=Leslie |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/cambridge-history-of-latin-america/peru-since-1960/912B086D53BEAA202D384745A0C7728F |publisher=Cambridge University Press |doi=10.1017/chol9780521266529.009 |isbn=978-0-521-26652-9}}

The military, which had a history of intervening in government and had overthrown Belaúnde in 1968, said it would respect the results of the election.