| 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 |
| Purpose of elections |
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 1 | 11 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 |
|
|
% |
|
|
| 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
|
|
|
|
|
| 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/ |
Compare data for parliamentary chambers in the Last elections module
