Peru Chamber of Deputies votes to repeal law creating Professional College of Artists

The Chamber of Deputies in Peru has approved a proposal to repeal Law 32645, which established the Professional College of Artists of Peru. The measure passed with 109 votes in favor and zero against. The repeal must still undergo the legislative process in the Senate to become final.

Legislators argued that the law created discriminatory barriers by requiring formal academic credentials for professional recognition. According to Ministry of Culture data cited during the debate, a vast majority of cultural creators acquire their knowledge outside the formal educational system. Proponents of the repeal noted that requiring university or technical degrees could exclude approximately 80% of the country's creators, including self-taught, traditional, popular, and indigenous artists.

Supporters of the repeal, including musicians and lawmakers, emphasized that artistic excellence should be based on merit and effort rather than bureaucratic decrees. They argued that the law threatened freedom of expression and failed to reflect the sociocultural reality of Peru, where ancestral knowledge and community traditions are vital to national identity.