Political and Public Institutions

Colombia is one of the oldest democracies in South America and holds popular elections for Congress, the President, Provincial Governors, mayors and provincial and local councils.
The system of government is presidential, with three independent branches of Government, all fully independent from one another.

The Executive consists of the President of the Republic, who is elected by popular vote every four years. In the 1994 elections, the office of Vice-President was revived and the Vice-President is elected together with the President. The Vice-President replaces the President when he is on leave, resigns or in cases of death. The current President of Colombia is Mr. Alvaro Uribe Vélez (photo)

The Legislature is a two-chamber system, with a Senate of 102 members (two of which are reserved for native indigenous communities) and a House of Representatives with 165 members. Both chambers of the Congress of the Republic are elected by direct popular vote for four year terms.

The Judiciary is administratively and financially independent. The structure is headed by the Supreme Court (for private matters); the Constitutional Court (for Constitutional matters); the Council of State (responsible, among other matters, for disputes between the State and individuals).

       

Mario Iguarán current Prosecutor General and Edgardo Maya current Attorney General
In addition there is the Prosecutor General's Office, the Comptroller's Office (which oversees public expenditure) and the Attorney General's Office (which oversees civil service performance and standards). An independent Central Bank (Banco de la República) is responsible for monetary stability.

The structure of the State is decentralised and the regions enjoy autonomy in their policies and administration. There are 32 Departments (provinces) - made up of 1,035 municipalities - four special metropolitan districts and zones designated as autonomous indigenous reservations. With a population of approximately 7 million, the capital city, Bogotá, is in the centre of the country. It is the political and economic centre of the country and over the years has become a major business centre and a metropolis that rivals any capital city of the world. Bogotá is followed in size by Cali, capital of Valle del Cauca (3.2 million inhabitants), Medellín, capital of Antioquia (2.8 million inhabitants) and Barranquilla, capital of Atlántico (1.8 million inhabitants) and the main Caribbean sea port.
The main political parties are the Liberal, The U party, Polo Democratico, the Conservative   but several other smaller parties are also represented in Congress and provincial governments.
A new Constitution was introduced in 1991 with the aim of modernising the nation's political institutions. The previous Constitution had been in force for over one hundred years. The new 1991 Constitution was written by representatives of the leading political parties, Indigenous people, left-wing groups, demobilised guerrillas, religious minorities, a former President and independent groups. Democratic participation, civil rights and those of ethnic minorities were strengthened. Constitutional reform, which granted autonomy in monetary policy to Colombia's Central Bank and paved the way for foreign investment in all sectors, provided further support for economic stability in Colombia.