Elections in Colombia are regulated and controlled by the
National Electoral Council (CNE) which also provides information on
election
An election is a formal group decision-making process whereby a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold Public administration, public office.
Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative d ...
s and election results.
At the national level, the
President of Colombia
The president of Colombia (President of the Republic) is the head of state and head of government of Colombia. The president heads the executive branch of the Government of Colombia, national government and is the commander-in-chief of the Mil ...
is elected as the
head of state
A head of state is the public persona of a sovereign state.#Foakes, Foakes, pp. 110–11 "he head of state
He or HE may refer to:
Language
* He (letter), the fifth letter of the Semitic abjads
* He (pronoun), a pronoun in Modern English
* He (kana), one of the Japanese kana (へ in hiragana and ヘ in katakana)
* Ge (Cyrillic), a Cyrillic letter cal ...
being an embodiment of the State itself or representative of its international persona." The name given to the office of head of sta ...
and the
bicameral
Bicameralism is a type of legislature that is divided into two separate Deliberative assembly, assemblies, chambers, or houses, known as a bicameral legislature. Bicameralism is distinguished from unicameralism, in which all members deliberate ...
Congress of Colombia
The Congress of the Republic of Colombia () is the name given to Colombia's bicameral national legislature.
The Congress of Colombia consists of the 108-seat Senate, and the 188-seat Chamber of Representatives, Members of both houses are e ...
as the
legislature
A legislature (, ) is a deliberative assembly with the legal authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country, nation or city on behalf of the people therein. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial power ...
every four years. The Congress of Colombia is composed of 162 members of the
Chamber of Representatives and 102 members of the
Senate
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
. Both are elected by
proportional representation
Proportional representation (PR) refers to any electoral system under which subgroups of an electorate are reflected proportionately in the elected body. The concept applies mainly to political divisions (Political party, political parties) amon ...
.
Colombia historically had a
two-party system
A two-party system is a political party system in which two major political parties consistently dominate the political landscape. At any point in time, one of the two parties typically holds a majority in the legislature and is usually referr ...
, dominated by the
Colombian Liberal Party
The Colombian Liberal Party (; PLC) is a centre to centre-left political party in Colombia. It was founded as a classical liberal party but later developed a more social-democratic tradition, joining the Socialist International in 1999.
Th ...
and
Colombian Conservative Party
The Colombian Conservative Party () is a conservative political party in Colombia. The party was formally established in 1849 by Mariano Ospina Rodríguez and José Eusebio Caro.
The Conservative Party along with the Colombian Liberal Party ...
, in which it could be difficult for third parties to find success. Since the implementation of the
1991 constitution, there has been a proliferation of third parties, which have won most presidential elections in the 21st century.
Colombia's electoral system has a pervasive
corruption issue, with electoral fraud, bribery, and other scandals occurring at both the municipal and national levels.
Electoral system
Presidential
Colombian presidents are elected for four-year terms using a two-round system; if no candidate receives a majority of the vote in the first round, a runoff is held between the top two candidates. The vice president is elected on the same ticket as the president. Presidents are limited to a single four-year term, and Article 191 of the
constitution
A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organization or other type of entity, and commonly determines how that entity is to be governed.
When these pri ...
requires candidates to be Colombian by birth and at least thirty years old. In line with the constitution, Colombian citizens by birth or by naturalization, aged eighteen or older have the right to vote. Several scenarios can cause the loss of the right to vote, as outlined in the constitution. Citizens in detention centers can vote from the establishments determined by the
National Civil Registry. The civil registry inscription is not automatic, and citizens must go to the regional office of the registry to register.
Legislative Act No. 2 of 2015 established that the runner-up in the presidential elections is given a seat in the
Senate
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
and their vice president candidate becomes a member of the
Chamber of Representatives.
In order to be accepted as a candidate, applicants must either have the backing of a recognized political party in order to run as their official candidate, or to collect a minimum number of signatures in order to run as an independent candidate.
Parliamentary
Department level
Schedule
Presidential and parliamentary elections are held every four years in Colombia.
Latest elections
2022 presidential election
2022 parliamentary election
Senate
Chamber of Representatives
See also
*
Corruption in Colombia
*
Electoral calendar
This national electoral calendar for 2025 lists the national/ federal elections scheduled to be held in 2025 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referenda are included. Specific d ...
*
Electoral system
An electoral or voting system is a set of rules used to determine the results of an election. Electoral systems are used in politics to elect governments, while non-political elections may take place in business, nonprofit organizations and inf ...
*
Government of Colombia
The Government of Colombia is a republic with separation of powers 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 citi ...
Notes
References
External links
Adam Carr's Election Archive*
ttp://www.portalcol.com/colombianadas/elecciones2006 Democracia a distancia: Elecciones 2006 (Portalcol.com)br>
Votebien.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Elections In Colombia