Chamber of Representatives of Colombia

Colombia

This article is part of the series:
Politics and government of
Colombia



Other countries · Atlas
Politics portal

The House of Representatives (Spanish: Cámara de Representantes) is the lower house of the Congress of Colombia.

The Chamber has 166 elected members for four-year terms.

Contents

How the Chamber is elected

According to the Colombian Constitution, every department is an electoral administrative division. There are also four special circumscriptions: One for Indian communities, one for Afro-Colombian communities (negritudes), one for other minorities and one for Colombian citizens abroad, which have become lately a much-courted political group.

There will be two representatives for each territorial circumscription, and every territorial circumscription will elect an additional member for every 250,000 residents or fraction greater than 125,000 residents in excess of the first 250,000 residents. The Afro-Colombian circunscription elects two representatives, and the Indian, other minority and expatriate circumscriptions elect one each.

Requirements

To be a representative, a person must be a Colombian citizen (regardless of place of birth) who has attained the age of 25 years at the moment of election.

Exclusive powers of the Chamber

  1. Elect the head of the Ombudsman's Office of Colombia.
  2. Examine the budget and treasury audit by the Auditor General.
  3. Indict for the impeachment of the following officeholders: President, Constitutional Court justices, Supreme Court justices, Judicature Superior Council magistrates, State Council magistrates and the Attorney General.
  4. Listen to the complaints stated by the Attorney General or private citizens against the aforementioned officers, and recommend impeachment if they're worthwhile.
  5. Request the aid of other authorities to pursue the investigations.

Latest 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

Previous election

e • d Summary of the 10 March 2002 Parliament of Colombia election results
Parties Chamber Senate
% Seats % Seats
Colombian Liberal Party (Partido Liberal Colombiano) PL 31.3 54 30.6 28
Colombian Conservative Party (Partido Conservador Colombiano) PCC 11.0 21 10.0 13
Radical Change (Cambio Radical) CR 3.8 7 2.5 2
Coalition (Coalición) C 2.8 11 6.3 6
Team Colombia (Equipo Colombia) MEC 2.3 4 3.3 3
Civic People's Convergence (Convergencia Popular Cívica) CPC 2.2 4 1.0 1
Liberal Opening (Apertura Liberal) AL 2.0 5
United People's Movement (Movimiento Popular Unido) MPU 1.5 2 2.0 2
National Salvation Movement (Movimiento de Salvación Nacional) MSN 1.4 2 0.9 1
Colombia Allways (Colombia Siempre) CS 1.3 3 2.9 2
People's Participation Movement (Movimiento de Participación Popular) MPP 1.3 2
Renovation Movement Labour Action (Movimiento Renovación Acción Laboral) MORAL 1.1 2 1.7 2
National Movement (Movimiento Nacional) MN 1.1 1 4.8 6
People's Will Movement (Movimiento Voluntad Popular) MVP 1.1 2 0.7 1
Progressive Force (Fuerza Progresista) FP 1.0 2 1.1 1
Citizens' Convergence (Convergencia Ciudadana) CC 1.0 2 1.0 1
Alterning Road (Vía Alterna) VA 0.9 1
Social and Political Front (Frente Social y Politico) FSP 0.8 2 1.5 1
Democratic Progressivity (Progresismo Democrático) MPD 0.8 2 0.5 1
Republican Movement (Movimiento Republicano) MR 0.7 1
Independent Conservatism (Conservatismo Independiente) MCI 0.7 1
National Democratic Reconstruction (Reconstrucción Democrática Nacional) RDN 0.5 1
Community Participation (Participación Comununidad) PC 0.6 1
Civic Purpose Colombia (Cívico Seriedad Colombia) CSC 0.5 1
Regional Integration Movement (Movimiento Integración Regional) MIR 0.5 2
Christian National Party (Partido Nacional Cristiano]) PNC 0.4 1 0.5 1
New Democratic Force (Nueva Fuerza Democrático) NFD 0.3 1 1.4 1
Progressive National Movement (Movimiento Nacional Progresista) MNP 0.3 1 0.9 1
New Liberalism (Nuevo Liberalismo) NL . 2 1.0 2
People's Integration Movement (Movimiento Integración Popular) MIPOL . 2 3.0 4
Unionist Movement (Movimiento Unionista) MU . 2 0.9 1
Moral and Social Vanguard Party Let's Go Golombia (Partido Vanguardia Moral y Social Vamos Colombia) VC . 1 0.8 1
Huella Citizens's Movement (Movimiento Huella Ciudadana) MHC . 2 0.7 1
Colombian Community and Communal Political Movement (Movimiento Politico Comunal y Comunidad Colombiano) MPCCC . 2 0.7 0
Democratic Unity Party (Partido Unidad Democrática) PUD . 1 0.6 1
Indigenous Authorities of Colombia (Autoridades Indigenas de Colombia) AICO . 1 0.5 1
Colombian Social Democratic Party (Partido Socialdemócrata Colombiano) PSDC . 1 1.2 1
Colombian People's Party (Partido Popular ColombianO) PPC . 1
Colombia Unite (Unete Colombia) MUC . 1
National People's Alliance (Alianza Nacional Popular) Anapo 1.4 1
Indigenous Social Alliance Movement (Movimiento Alianza Social Indigena'as) MASI 1.2 1
Alternative of Social Progress (Alternativa de Avanzada Social) ALAS 0.9 1
Movimiento Dejen Jugar al Moreno MDJM 0.8 1
Independent Absolute Renovation Movement (Movimiento Independiente Renovación Absolut) MIRA 0.8 1
Political Movement for Social Security (Movimento Politico por la Seguridad Social) MPSS 0.8 1
We are Colombia (Somos Colombia) SC 0.8 1
Christians for Community (Cristiano por la Comunidad) C4 0.7 1
Yes Colombia (Si Colombia) SC 0.6 1
Citizens' Movement (Moviemento Ciudadano) MC 0.6 1
Front of Hope (Frente de Esperanza) FE 0.5 1
Revolutionary Independent Labour Movement (Movimiento Obrero Independiente Revolucionario ) MOIR 0.5 1
Independent Civic Movement (Movimiento Cívico Independiente) MCI 0.5 1
Citizens' Political Movement for Bocaya (Movimiento Politico Ciudadanos por Bocaya) MPCB 0.5 1
Other parties 1 2
Total (turnout 42.4%)    
Source: Source: Registraduria Nacional del Estado Civil

See also

External links