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.
Latest elections
2010 Presidential election
e • d Summary of the 30 May 2010 and 20 June 2010 Colombian presidential election results
| Candidates – Parties |
First round |
Second round |
| Votes |
% |
Votes |
% |
| Juan Manuel Santos – Social Party of National Unity (Partido de «la U») |
6,802,043 |
46.68 |
9,028,943 |
69.13 |
| Antanas Mockus – Green Party (Partido Verde) |
3,134,222 |
21.51 |
3,587,975 |
27.47 |
| Germán Vargas Lleras – Radical Change (Cambio Radical) |
1,473,627 |
10.11 |
|
| Gustavo Petro – Alternative Democratic Pole (Polo Democrático Alternativo) |
1,331,267 |
9.14 |
| Noemí Sanín – Colombian Conservative Party (Partido Conservador Colombiano) |
893,819 |
6.13 |
| Rafael Pardo – Colombian Liberal Party (Partido Liberal Colombiano) |
638,302 |
4.38 |
| Róbinson Devia – Voice of Conscience Movement (Movimiento la Voz de la Consciencia) |
31,338 |
0.22 |
| Jairo Calderón – Liberal Opening (Movimiento Apertura Liberal) |
29,151 |
0.20 |
| Jaime Araújo – Afro-Colombian Social Alliance (Alianza Social Afrocolombiano) |
14,847 |
0.10 |
| Total votes for candidates |
14,348,616 |
98.46 |
12,616,918 |
96.60 |
| Blank votes |
223,977 |
1.54 |
444,274 |
3.40 |
| Total valid votes |
14,572,593 |
100.00 |
13,061,192 |
100.00 |
| Null votes |
170,874 |
|
198,003 |
|
| Unmarked ballots |
37,553 |
|
37,729 |
|
| Total votes cast |
14,781,020 |
|
13,296,924 |
|
| Source: Registraduría Nacional del Estado Civil, Registraduría Nacional del Estado Civil |
2010 Parliamentary election
e • d Summary of the 14 March 2010 Chamber of Representatives of Colombia election results
| Parties |
Votes |
% |
Seats |
| Party of the U (Partido de la U) |
2,486,824 |
25.9 |
47 |
| Colombian Conservative Party (Partido Conservador Colombiano) |
2,057,849 |
21.4 |
38 |
| Colombian Liberal Party (Partido Liberal Colombiano) |
1,856,068 |
19.3 |
37 |
| Radical Change (Cambio Radical) |
743,758 |
7.7 |
15 |
| National Integration Party (Partido de Integración Nacional) |
714,476 |
7.4 |
12 |
| Alternative Democratic Pole (Polo Democrático Alternativo) |
563,555 |
5.9 |
4 |
| Independent Absolute Renovation Movement (Movimiento Independiente de Renovación Absoluta) |
284,244 |
3.0 |
3 |
| Green Party (Partido Verde) |
283,293 |
3.0 |
3 |
| Indigenous Social Alliance (Alianza Social Indigena) |
182,515 |
1.9 |
1 |
| Liberal Alternative (Alternativa Liberal) |
171,090 |
1.8 |
1 |
| Liberal Opening (Apertura Liberal) |
117,871 |
1.2 |
2 |
| Regional Integration (Integración Regional) |
5,045 |
0.1 |
1 |
| Others |
143,883 |
1.5 |
— |
| Total valid votes (turnout 43.8%) |
9,610,471 |
100.0 |
164 |
| Sources: Adam Carr's Election Archive |
e • d Summary of the 14 March 2010 Senate of Colombia election results
| Parties |
Votes |
% |
Seats |
| Party of the U (Partido de la U) |
2,804,123 |
25.8 |
28 |
| Colombian Conservative Party (Partido Conservador Colombiano) |
2,298,748 |
21.2 |
22 |
| Colombian Liberal Party (Partido Liberal Colombiano) |
1,763,908 |
16.3 |
17 |
| National Integration Party (Partido de Integración Nacional) |
907,468 |
8.4 |
9 |
| Radical Change (Cambio Radical) |
888,851 |
8.2 |
8 |
| Alternative Democratic Pole (Polo Democrático Alternativo) |
848,305 |
7.8 |
8 |
| Green Party (Partido Verde) |
531,293 |
4.9 |
5 |
| Independent Absolute Renovation Movement (Movimiento Independiente de Renovación Absoluta) |
298,862 |
2.8 |
3 |
| Citizens' Compromise for Colombia (Compromiso Ciudadano por Colombia) |
182,286 |
1.7 |
0 |
| Others |
326,763 |
3.0 |
— |
| Indigenous Social Alliance (Alianza Social Indigena) |
— |
— |
1 |
| Indigenous Authorities of Colombia (Autoridades Indígenas de Colombia) |
— |
— |
1 |
| Total valid votes (turnout 44.2%) |
10,851,207 |
100.0 |
102 |
| Sources: Adam Carr's Election Archive |
2006 Presidential election
e • d Summary of the 28 May 2006 Colombian presidential election results
| Parties - Candidates |
Votes |
% |
| Álvaro Uribe Vélez - Colombia First (Primero Colombia) |
7,363,421 |
62.35 |
| Carlos Gaviria Díaz - Alternative Democratic Pole (Polo Democrático Alternativo) |
2,609,412 |
22.04 |
| Horacio Serpa Uribe - Colombian Liberal Party (Partido Liberal Colombiano) |
1,401,173 |
11.84 |
| Antanas Mockus Sivickas - Indigenous Social Alliance Movement (Movimiento Alianza Social Indígena) |
146,540 |
1.24 |
| Enrique Parejo González - National Democratic Reconstruction (Reconstrucción Democrática Nacional) |
44,610 |
0.38 |
| Álvaro Leyva Durán - National Movement for Reconciliation (Movimiento Nacional de Reconciliación) |
22,039 |
0.19 |
| Carlos Arturo Rincón Barreto - Colombian Community and Communal Political Movement (Movimiento Politico Comunal y Comunidad Colombiano) |
20,477 |
0.17 |
| Total votes for candidates |
11,607,672 |
98.05 |
| Blank votes |
230,749 |
1.95 |
| Total valid votes |
11,838,421 |
100.00 |
| Null votes |
136,326 |
|
| Unmarked ballots |
84,041 |
| Total votes cast (turnout 45.1%) |
12,058,788 |
| Registered voters |
26,731,700 |
| Source: Registraduría Nacional del Estado Civil. |
2006 Parliamentary election
e • d Summary of the 12 March 2006 Chamber of Representatives of Colombia election results
| Parties |
Votes |
% |
Seats |
| Colombian Liberal Party (Partido Liberal Colombiano) |
2,646,404 |
19.0 |
31 |
| Social National Unity Party/Party of the U (Partido Social de Unidad Nacional, also known as Partido de la U) |
1,453,353 |
16.7 |
28 |
| Colombian Conservative Party (Partido Conservador Colombiano) |
1,363,656 |
15.8 |
26 |
| Radical Change (Cambio Radical) |
932,207 |
10.7 |
18 |
| Alternative Democratic Pole (Polo Democrático Alternativo) |
708,664 |
8.2 |
14 |
| Citizens' Convergence (Convergencia Ciudadana) |
397,903 |
4.6 |
8 |
| Wings - Team Colombia Movement (Movimiento Alas Equipo Colombia) |
370,789 |
4.3 |
8 |
| Mira Movement (Movimiento Mira) |
233,920 |
2.7 |
5 |
| Democratic Colombia Party (Partido Colombia Demócrata) |
215,753 |
2.5 |
5 |
| Liberal Opening (Apertura Liberal) |
199,810 |
2.3 |
4 |
| National Movement (Movimiento Nacional) |
175,012 |
2.0 |
4 |
| United People's Movement (Movimiento Popular Unido) |
129,977 |
1.5 |
3 |
| For the Country of our Dreams (Por el País que soñamos) |
99,565 |
1.1 |
2 |
| Regional Integration Movement (Movimiento Integración Regional) |
91,547 |
1.1 |
2 |
| Huila New and Liberalism (Huila Nuevo y Liberalismo) |
80,688 |
0.9 |
2 |
| Social Action Party (Partido de Acción Social) |
52,340 |
0.6 |
0 |
| Renovation Movement Labour Action (Movimiento Renovación Acción Laboral) |
33,308 |
0.4 |
0 |
| National Salvation Movement (Movimiento de Salvación Nacional) |
28,975 |
0.3 |
0 |
| People's Participation Movement (Movimiento de Participación Popular) |
18,449 |
0.2 |
0 |
| Progressive National Movement (Movimiento Nacional Progresista) |
8,146 |
0.1 |
0 |
| Total votes for parties (turnout 40.54%) |
8,678,535 |
100.0 |
162 |
| Sources: Adam Carr and Registraduría Nacional del Estado Civil |
e • d 2006 elections to the 2 seats reserved for Indigenous in the Senate of Colombia
| Parties |
Votes |
% |
Seats |
| Indigenous Social Alliance (Alianza Social Indigena) |
ASI |
44,557 |
28.27 |
1 |
| Indigenous Authorities of Colombia (Autoridades Indigenas de Colombia) |
AICO |
21,304 |
13.52 |
1 |
| Total (turnout %) |
|
|
|
| Source: Registraduria Nacional del Estado Civil.
Note: As the blank vote percentage was 58.21% (more than 50%), this special election must be repeated, with the same parties but different candidates [1]
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Past elections
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Elections in Colombia
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| Presidential elections |
1826 · 1833 · 1837 · 1841 · 1845 · 1849 · 1853 · 1857 · 1860 · 1864 · 1866 · 1868 · 1870 · 1872 · 1874 · 1876 · 1878 · 1880 · 1882 · 1884 · 1886 · 1892 · 1898 · 1904 · 1910 · 1914 · 1918 · 1922 · 1926 · 1930 · 1934 · 1938 · 1942 · 1946 · 1949 · 1958 · 1962 · 1966 · 1970 · 1974 · 1978 · 1982 · 1986 · 1990 · 1994 · 1998 · 2002 · 2006 · 2010
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| Parliamentary elections |
1931 · 1933 · 1935 · 1937 · 1939 · 1941 · 1943 · 1945 · 1947 · 1949 · 1951 · 1953 · 1958 · 1960 · 1962 · 1964 · 1966 · 1968 · 1970 · 1974 · 1978 · 1982 · 1986 · 1990 · 1991 · 1994 · 1998 · 2002 · 2006 · 2010
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| Regional elections |
1991 · 1994 · 1997 · 2000 · 2003 · 2007
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| Referendums |
1957 · 1990 · 1990 (May) · 1990 (Dec) · 2003
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See also
References
External links