The Government of Colombia is a republic with

separation of powers Separation of powers refers to the division of a state's government into branches, each with separate, independent powers and responsibilities, so that the powers of one branch are not in conflict with those of the other branches. The typica ...

into executive, judicial and legislative branches. Its legislature has a congress, its judiciary has a supreme court, and its executive branch has a president. The citizens of Colombia cast votes concerning their government, and they employ a ''public'' sector office for an

inspector general An inspector general is an investigative official in a civil or military organization. The plural of the term is "inspectors general". Australia The Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security (Australia) (IGIS) is an independent statutory o ...

to oversee the public interface of the government. This safeguards the public, and guarantees the

human rights Human rights are moral principles or normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for certain standards of hu ...

spelled out in the '' Constitution of 1991'', which provides the framework for a

welfare state A welfare state is a form of government in which the state (or a well-established network of social institutions) protects and promotes the economic and social well-being of its citizens, based upon the principles of equal opportunity, equitab ...

and a unitary republic. Colombia has "control institutions" that mix government and public officials, who work alongside one another. For example, the public's inspector general works closely with the government's controller general, whose job it is to ensure governmental fiscal responsibility. An independent Ombudsman deals with maladministration complaints and functions.

Executive

The executive branch of power in Colombia is headed by the President of the Republic. He is supported by the Vice President of Colombia, the Council of Ministers and Government entities of Colombia, Administrative Departments of Colombia. The government is in charge of creating and developing policies concerning Colombia, while the governors of the

Departments of Colombia Colombia is a unitary republic made up of thirty-two departments ( Spanish: ''departamentos'', sing. '' departamento'') and a Capital District ('' Distrito Capital''). Each department has a governor (''gobernador'') and an Assembly (''Asambl ...

are elected by popular vote to represent the president and the executive branch of government. Mayors are subordinated to the governors, who are the maximum representatives of the executive branch of government at a

municipal A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the ...

level. Mayors are also elected in regional elections, along with the department governors. In 2015, Colombia's Congress limited presidency to single term, preventing the president from seeking re-election.

Legislative

The legislative branch is the branch that makes laws. Representatives are elected by the people and support their thoughts in government.

Judiciary

The judiciary of Colombia (Spanish: Rama Judicial de Colombia) is a branch of the State of Colombia that interprets and applies the laws of Colombia, to ensure equal justice under law, and to provide a mechanism for dispute resolution. The judiciary comprises a hierarchical system of courts presided over by judges, magistrates and other adjudicators. Colombia is a centralized state, thus there is only one jurisdiction (with the exception of special indigenous jurisdictions), which is functionally divided by subject matter into an ordinary, penal, administrative, disciplinary, constitutional and special jurisdictions (military,

peace Peace is a concept of societal friendship and harmony in the absence of hostility and violence. In a social sense, peace is commonly used to mean a lack of conflict (such as war) and freedom from fear of violence between individuals or groups. ...

, and indigenous matters).

References

External links

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Government of Colombia
{{Colombia-stub