Elections in Colombia

Elections in Colombia are regulated and controlled by the National Electoral Council which also gives information on elections and election results in for the politics of Colombia.

Colombia elects on national level a head of state - the president - and a legislature. The president is elected for a four year term by the people. The Congress' (Congreso) has two chambers. The Chamber of Representatives (Cámara de Representantes) has 162 members, elected for a four year term by proportional representation. The Senate of the Republic (Senado de la República) has 102 members, elected for a four year term by proportional representation. Colombia has a two-party system, which means that there are two dominant political parties, a situation which has usually meant that it would be difficult for anybody to achieve significant electoral success under the banner of any other party. Dissidents from the two main parties usually have chances to win elections, if they are not confronted by strong challengers from their own former party (in which cases their traditional opponents tend to win). Recent electoral inroads made by a number of independent candidates towards the end of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st, such as the elections of Antanas Mockus and later Luis Eduardo Garzón as mayors of Bogotá, amid a climate of perceived generalized dissatisfaction with the country's traditional political background, have tended to shows signs that past electoral trends may be weakening and the potential for diversity could be increasing.