Editing Víctor Raúl Haya de la Torre (section)

===Constituent Assembly (1978–1979)===
Haya led the popular pressure exerted against the [[Francisco Morales-Bermúdez]] administration for the military to return to their barracks and restore democracy. A [[Constituent Assembly of Peru|Constituent Assembly]] was ultimately convened on July 28, 1978, after [[1978 Peruvian Constituent Assembly election|elections on June 18, 1978]]. The Aprista Party attained 37 seats, including Haya, who was elected with over one million votes nationally. Due for having the highest vote count, he was unanimously elected to preside over the Constituent Assembly on July 28, 1978. In a symbolic act, his salary as president of the Assembly was 1 [[sol de oro]]. The same day of the installation of the assembly, Haya marked his clear independence with respect to the military regime:

{{Blockquote|''This Assembly embodies the Constituent Power, and the Constituent Power is the supreme expression of the people as such, and the first Power of the State. This Power does not admit conditions, limitations or parameters; it does not recognize powers above itself because it is the indisputable legitimate fruit of popular sovereignty. On a day like today, 157 years ago, Peru declared its independence based on the general will of the people; on July 28, 1978, based on that same general will of the people, clearly expressed in the June elections, with no other limitations than those that she herself wishes to give herself, she proclaims herself free and autonomous. '' (...) '' It is obvious that the search for Harmonies and coincidences that offer a broad consensus to the constitutional text do not mean in any way the abandonment of ideological positions or ideas or programs; moreover, a constituent assembly is a natural arena for the confrontation of positions, a political approach of various paths; a constituent assembly does not legislate for a party or for a sector, but for the entire people. '' (...) '' if the defective Constitution of 1933, with an obsolete style and spirit, is the last constitution of the 20th century; what is now dictated should be the first constitution of the 21st century.''}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUjyxAlWxkA|title=- YouTube|website=www.youtube.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=DISCURSO DEL PRESIDENTE DE LA ASAMBLEA CONSTITUYENTE, Víctor Raúl Haya de la Torre. Lima, 28 de julio de 1978. |url=http://www.congreso.gob.pe/museo/mensajes/Mensaje-1978-2.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305112318/http://www.congreso.gob.pe/museo/mensajes/Mensaje-1978-2.pdf |archive-date=March 5, 2016 |access-date=May 29, 2020}}</ref>

The drafting of the new constitution took about a year to complete. Haya was absent in the last months of the Assembly due to his failing health. First Vice President of the Assembly, [[Luis Alberto Sánchez]], took over the presidency pro tempore of the Assembly in Haya's absence. During this period, he was considered a strong contender in the [[1980 Peruvian general election|1980 general election]] for the presidency.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Victor-Raul-Haya-de-la-Torre|title=Victor Raul Haya de la Torre &#124; Biography & Facts &#124; Britannica|website=www.britannica.com|date=July 29, 2023 }}</ref>