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COLOMBIA
Senado de la República (Senate)

This page contains the full text of the PARLINE database entry on the selected parliamentary chamber, with the exception of Specialized bodies modules which, because of their excessive length, can be only viewed and printed separately.

Modules:
GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE PARLIAMENTARY CHAMBER

Parliament name (generic / translated) Congreso / Congress
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Structure of parliament Bicameral
Chamber name (generic / translated) Senado de la República / Senate
Related chamber (for bicameral parliaments) Cámara de Representantes / House of Representatives
Affiliation to the IPU Yes
Affiliation date(s) 1931 - 1935
1973 - 1977
1979 -
LEADERSHIP
President Ernesto Macías Tovar (M) 
Notes 20 July 2018 - 20 July 2019.
Secretary General Gregorio Eljach Pacheco (M) 
Notes Re-elected on 20 July 2014, on 20 July 2016 and on 20 July 2018.
COMPOSITION
Members (statutory / current number) 108 / 108
PERCENTAGE OF WOMEN


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Women (current number) 22 (20.37%)
Mode of designation directly elected 102
other 6
Notes Others:
- Five members of the FARC;
- the runner-up in the presidential election.

Note:
The 2016 Peace Agreement guarantees the FARC five seats in each Chamber of Congress for the next two legislatures (2018-2022 and 2022-2026). Moreover, a new rule guarantees the presidential runner-up a seat in the Senate, while his or her running mate is guaranteed a seat in the House of Representatives for the 2018-2022 legislature. With these new measures, the number of senators has increased from 102 to 108, while that of representatives has increased from 166 to 172.
Term 4 years
Last renewal dates 11 March 2018
(View details)
CONTACT INFORMATION
Address Senado de la República
Capitolio Nacional
Kra 7 No 8-68
BOGOTA
(Export mailing lists)
Phone (57 1) 382 30 00
382 40 00
382 50 00
382 52 82 (Protocol)
382 52 87 (Protocol)
Fax (57 1) 382 52 88 (Protocol)
E-mail protocolosenado@gmail.com
Website
http://www.secretariasenado.gov.co/
http://www.senado.gov.co

ELECTORAL SYSTEM

Parliament name (generic / translated) Congreso / Congress
Structure of parliament Bicameral
Chamber name (generic / translated) Senado de la República / Senate
Related chamber (for bicameral parliaments) Cámara de Representantes / House of Representatives
LEGAL FRAMEWORK
Electoral law 1 January 1900
Last amendment: 1990
Mode of designation directly elected 102
other 6
Constituencies - 1 multi-member (100 seats) national constituency
- 1 multi-member (2 seats) special national constituency for indigenious (Indian) communities
Voting system Proportional: Party-list proportional representation system, with remaining seats allocated on the basis of greatest remainders.
Vacancies arising between general elections are filled by the "next-in-line" candidates of the same party which held the seat in question.
Voting is not compulsory.
Voter requirements - age: 18 years
- Colombian citizenship
- full possession of civil and political rights
- disqualifications: members of the armed forces on active duty, police officers
CANDIDATES
Eligibility - qualified electors
- age: 30 years
- Colombian citizenship at birth
- ineligibility: imprisonment (except for political or similar crimes)
Incompatibilities - public officials and their relatives
- certain public employees (in preceding 12 months of elections)
- government contractors
Candidacy requirements (data unavailable)

LAST ELECTIONS

Parliament name (generic / translated) Congreso / Congress
Structure of parliament Bicameral
Chamber name (generic / translated) Senado de la República / Senate
Related chamber (for bicameral parliaments) Cámara de Representantes / House of Representatives
BACKGROUND
Dates of election / renewal (from/to) 11 March 2018
Timing and scope of renewal The 2018 elections were the first to be held since the government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) signed a peace agreement in 2016 which brought an end to 52 years of armed conflict (see note 1).

The parties which criticized the peace agreement fared well in the parliamentary elections but failed to win a majority, two months ahead of the presidential polls. They include the Democratic Centre, led by former President Álvaro Uribe, which became the largest party in the 108-member Senate and the second largest party in the 172-member House of Representatives (see note 2), the Radical Change (CR) and the Conservative Party (CP), Among the supporters of the agreement, the Liberal Party (PL) became the largest party in the House of Representatives but finished fourth in the Senate. Outgoing President Juan Manuel Santos' Social Party of National Unity (Partido de la U) finished fifth in the Senate and fourth in the House of Representatives.

Major electoral issues in 2018 included corruption scandals involving public funds and street crime. The parties which criticized the 2016 agreement pledged to revise it but without repealing it.

Note 1:
The agreement was narrowly rejected by a referendum in October 2016. A revised version of the agreement was approved by the Congress in November that year. Most parties, except for the Democratic Centre, backed the revised agreement. In August 2017, the FARC became a political party named the Revolutionary Alternative Common Force (Fuerza Alternativa Revolucionaria del Común) and participated in the 2018 elections. However, it failed to win parliamentary representation through direct elections.

Note 2:
Under the 2016 peace agreement, the FARC is entitled to nominate five members in each chamber of the Congress for the next two legislatures. Separately, a new rule grants the presidential runner-up a Senate seat, while his or her running mate will get a seat in the House of Representatives. The new measures will thus bring the total number of senators from 102 to 108, and that of representatives from 166 to 172.
Date of previous elections: 9 March 2014

Date of dissolution of the outgoing legislature: N/A

Timing of election: Upon normal expiry

Expected date of next elections: March 2022

Number of seats at stake: 102 (full renewal)

Number of candidates: 1,114 (806 men, 308 women)

Percentage of women candidates: 27.6%

Number of parties contesting the election: 23

Number of parties winning seats: 11

Alternation of power: not applicable
Note: Presidential system

Date of the first session of the new parliament: 20 July 2018

Name of the new Speaker: Mr. Ernesto Macías Tovar (Democratic Centre, CD)
STATISTICS
Voter turnout
Round no 111 March 2018
Number of registered electors
Voters
Blank or invalid ballot papers
Valid votes
36'493'318
17'818'185 (48.83%)

Notes
Distribution of votes
Round no 1
Political group Candidates Votes % of votes
Democratic Centre (CD)
Radical Change (CR)
Conservative Party (CP)
Liberal Party (PL)
Social Party of National Unity (Partido de la U)
Green Alliance
Alternative Democratic Pole (POLO)
Coalition List of Decency (Coalición Lista de la Decencia: ASI, UP, MAIS)
Independent Absolute Renovation Movement (MIRA)
Indigenous and Social Alternative Movement (MAIS)
Indigenous Authorities of Colombia (AICO)
Distribution of seats
Round no 1
Political Group Total of seats
Democratic Centre (CD) 19
Radical Change (CR) 16
Conservative Party (CP) 15
Liberal Party (PL) 14
Social Party of National Unity (Partido de la U) 14
Green Alliance 10
Alternative Democratic Pole (POLO) 5
Coalition List of Decency (Coalición Lista de la Decencia: ASI, UP, MAIS) 4
Independent Absolute Renovation Movement (MIRA) 3
Indigenous and Social Alternative Movement (MAIS) 1
Indigenous Authorities of Colombia (AICO) 1
Distribution of seats according to sex
Men

Women

Percent of women
71

31

30.39%
Distribution of seats according to age
Distribution of seats according to profession
Comments
Note on the distribution of seats according to sex:
Thirty-one (31) women (out of 102 senators) were directly elected in the 2018 elections.
The 2016 peace agreement guarantees the FARC five seats in each chamber of the Congress for the next two legislatures (2018-2022 and 2022-2026). Separately, a new rule grants the presidential runner-up a Senate seat, while his or her running mate will get a seat in the House of Representatives for the 2018-2022 legislature. With these new measures, the number of senators has increased from 102 to 108, and that of representatives has increased from 166 to 172.
As at 15 August 2018, twenty-two of the 108 Senate members were women.

Sources:
Senate (03.04.2018, 15.08.2018)
https://elecciones.registraduria.gov.co:81/elec20180311/resultados/99SE/BXXXX/DSE99999.htm
http://www.registraduria.gov.co/2-957-candidatos-quedaron.html
http://www.as-coa.org/articles/explainer-colombias-2018-legislative-elections
BBC Monitoring
https://reliefweb.int/report/colombia/report-secretary-general-united-nations-verification-mission-colombia-s2018279
https://www.nytimes.com/
https://www.theguardian.com/
https://thebogotapost.com/2018/02/26/election-2018-what-to-expect/
https://www.elespectador.com/

PRESIDENCY OF THE PARLIAMENTARY CHAMBER

Parliament name (generic / translated) Congreso / Congress
Structure of parliament Bicameral
Chamber name (generic / translated) Senado de la República / Senate
Related chamber (for bicameral parliaments) Cámara de Representantes / House of Representatives
APPOINTMENT AND TERM OF OFFICE
Title President of the Senate
Term - duration: 1 year (term of session), (ineligible for re-election)
- reasons for interruption of the term: resignation, death, dissolution
Appointment - elected by the Members of the Senate
Eligibility - any Senator may be a candidate
- notification of candidature must be made the day of the election
Voting system - free formal vote by secret or public ballot
- direct, one-round majority vote
Procedures / results - the outgoing President and the Clerk preside over the Senate during the voting
- the Clerk supervises the voting together with the President's office and the committee of tellers appointed to this end
- the Clerk announces the results without delay
- the results cannot be challenged
STATUS
Status - ranks third in the hierarchy of State
- ranks first in the order of precedence between the Presidents of the two Chambers
- presides over joint meetings of both Chambers
- represents the Senate with the public authorities
- represents the Senate in international bodies
- in the absence of the President, the Vice President can assume his/her role and functions
Board - the Governing Board is set up under and regulated by a law
- consists of three Members and the Clerk: Chairman (First Vice President, Second Vice President, Clerk)
- elected for a one year term, ineligible for re-election
- meets once weekly, and at the President's initiative
Material facilities - allowance equivalent to that of the Senators
- official car
- secretaries and advisers
- bodyguards
FUNCTIONS
Organization of parliamentary business - convenes sessions
- establishes and modifies the agenda
- organizes the debates and sets speaking time
- examines the admissibility of bills and amendments
- refers texts to an arbitration body
- examines the admissibility of requests for setting up committees and/or committees of enquiry, proposes or decides on the setting-up of such committees
Chairing of public sittings - can open, adjourn and close sittings
- ensures respect for provisions of the Constitution and Standing Orders
- takes disciplinary measures in the event of disturbance, and lifts such measures
- establishes the list of speakers, gives and withdraws permission to speak
- establishes the order in which amendments are taken up, together with the Clerk
- calls for a vote, decides how it is to be carried out, verifies the voting procedure and cancels a vote in the event of irregularities
- has discretionary power (like any Senator) to give the floor outside the agenda and thus organizes impromptu debates
Special powers - is responsible for establishing the budget, together with the Budget and Financial Division
- is responsible for relations with foreign Parliaments
- is responsible for safety, and in this capacity, can call the police in the event of disturbance in the Senate
Speaking and voting rights, other functions - takes the floor in legislative debates
- provides guidelines for the interpretation or completion of the text under discussion
- takes part in voting as a member of the Senate
- proposes bills or amendments
- intervenes in the parliamentary oversight procedure as a member of the Senate
- can express an opinion on the constitutionality of laws
- is not empowered to appoint the members of the Constitutional Court, but can vote for and elect the members of other courts or bodies (Comptroller-General of the Republic, Vice-President of the Republic, Magistrate of the Jurisdictional Chamber of the High Council of the Magistrature, Ombudsman, etc.)

This page was last updated on 16 August 2018
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