He is a member of
Possible Peru since 1994, and was elected as a Congressman in the
2000,
2001, and
2006 elections, representing
Lima. In the 2000 elections, Waisman ran as the second running mate of
Alejandro Toledo, but the ticket was defeated by the ticket of
Alberto Fujimori in the runoff in which, Toledo withdrew. In 2000-01 Waisman led a Peruvian congressional investigation commission that investigated corruption and a range of illegal activities.
Second Vice President On 28 July 2001, Waisman became Second Vice President of Peru in
Alejandro Toledo's government, and served as such from 2001 to 2006. When
Raúl Diez Canseco resigned as First Vice President in 2004 after a scandal with his girlfriend, Waisman became the only
Vice President of Peru until 2006. He was also Defense Minister during Toledo's presidency. He attained these positions in government in spite of the fact that he does not have any post-secondary studies and did not finish secondary school. He later resigned as Defense Minister in 2002.
2006 elections In 2006, he was initially appointed by Possible Perú as a presidential candidate but independent Jeanette Emmanuel later replaced him as Possible Perú's candidate. With her withdrawal, Rafael Belaúnde was appointed the new candidate, but he also withdrew. He instead ran for Congress, and was successfully re-elected as one of the only 2 congressmen from Possible Perú , aside from
Carlos Bruce.
2011 elections He considered running for Vice President once more in the early
2011 elections alongside
Luis Castañeda, after having switched from Possible Perú due to irreconcilable differences with Toledo, to
Partido Solidaridad Nacional. He lost his Congressional seat consequently. ==Link==