| Parliament name (generic / translated) |
Congreso / Congress |
| Structure of parliament |
Bicameral |
| Chamber name (generic / translated) |
Cámara de Representantes / House of Representatives |
| Related chamber (for bicameral parliaments) |
Senado de la República / Senate
|
| BACKGROUND |
| Dates of election / renewal (from/to) |
14 March 2010 |
| Purpose of elections |
Elections were held for all seats in the House of Representatives on the normal expiry of the members' term of office. |
As in previous years, the 2010 parliamentary elections were held in March, two months ahead of the presidential elections.
In the previous elections, held in March 2006, the parties supporting President Álvaro Uribe won 96 of the 166 seats in the House of Representatives and 61 of the 102 seats in the Senate. They comprised the Social Party of National Unity (Partido de la U), the Conservative Party (CP), the Radical Change (RC), Team Colombia and the Democratic Party. The opposition Liberal Party (PL), led by former president Cesar Gaviria, won 36 and 17 seats respectively. Other seats went to independent candidates and small parties. Following a 2005 constitutional amendment, President Uribe was allowed to run for a second term in the May 2006 presidential elections, in which he was re-elected with over 62 per cent of the vote.
The President enjoyed high popularity ratings in his second term, during which his government took several measures to crack down on drug trafficking by the rebel group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). In July 2008, the army liberated several hostages held by the FARC, including former presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt.
The President's second term was nevertheless marred by a series of scandals. In early 2007, the media revealed links between the national intelligence service and paramilitary death squads in what came to be known as the "para-political" affair. The subsequent investigation alleged the involvement of members of Congress close to the President, including his cousin, Senator Mario Uribe.
In September 2009, the House of Representatives and the Senate passed a bill that would have authorized President Uribe to call a referendum on whether to amend the constitutional provisions on presidential term limits. The bill was rejected on 26 February 2010 by the Constitutional Court, on the grounds that it represented "substantial violations of democratic principles". The Partido de la U consequently endorsed its leader, Mr. Juan Manuel Santos, as its presidential candidate. He is a former defence minister and a close ally of Mr. Uribe.
In 2010, 1,634 candidates representing 361 parties were vying for seats in the House of Representatives, while 842 candidates from 19 parties ran for the Senate.
Despite the scandals, the Partido de la U reportedly remained popular. Its leader pledged to continue President Uribe's policies, saying that they had brought "unprecedented success" to the country. He promised to consolidate security and provide better education and more services to all Colombians. The Partido de la U's ally, the CP, campaigned on a similar platform, and also promised to create more jobs.
The CP's potential presidential candidates - Ms. Noemí Sanin and Mr. Andrés Felipe Arias - were close allies of President Uribe, while the RC's candidate, Mr. German Vargas Lleras, labelled himself an "anti-re-election Uribista". Mr. Santos said the Partido de la U would seek a coalition with the CP and the RC should Mr. Vargas withdraw from the presidential elections.
The PL, which had firmly opposed a third term for Mr. Uribe, endorsed Mr. Rafael Pardo as its presidential candidate. He criticized Mr. Uribe during the 2010 elections, arguing that he was using the media and his position as president to promote his allies in the parliamentary polls.
The opposition Alternative Democratic Pole (ADP) backed Mr. Gustavo Petro, an outspoken critic of Mr. Uribe, as its presidential candidate. The ADP argued that the elections presented a choice between dictatorship and democracy. In October 2009, Mr. Petro urged the opposition parties to unite and endorse a single presidential candidate, but the opposition remained fragmented.
The Green Party, formed in October 2009, pledged to become a moderate force in what it termed a polarized political situation.
The National Integration Party (PIN), a new pro-Uribe party formed in November 2009, supported the friends and families of those involved in the "para-political" affair. It pledged to work for human dignity. Its participation in the 2010 elections raised a storm of controversy.
About 44 per cent of the 29 million registered voters turned out at the polls. Voting took place without major incidents.
The Colombian Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) congratulated Colombia on its efforts to ensure freedom, security and transparency in the elections, adding they had been the most peaceful in many years. It nevertheless expressed concern at fraud and vote-buying as well as the fact that there were too few female candidates.
The final results saw the Partido de la U restored to power. It won 47 seats in the House of Representatives and 28 seats in the Senate. The CP took 38 and 22 seats respectively. The PL came in third with 37 and 17 seats. The RC took 15 and eight seats while the PIN took twelve and eight seats. The Green Party also won three and five seats.
In the presidential elections held on 30 May, no candidate secured a required majority to be elected. In the run-off elections held on 20 June, Mr. Santos of the Partido de la U was elected with 69 per cent of the vote, winning over Mr. Antanas Mockus of the Green Party.
On 20 July, the newly elected Congress held its first session. Mr. Carlos Alberto Zuluaga of the Conservative Party was elected as Speaker of the House of Representatives, while the Senate elected Mr. Armando Benedetti of the Partido de la U as its new President.
Mr. Santos was sworn in as the country's President on 7 August. |
| STATISTICS |
| Voter turnout |
| Round no 1 | 14 March 2010 |
Number of registered electors
Voters
Blank or invalid ballot papers
Valid votes |
29'853'299
13'061'798 (43.75%)
|
|
Notes
|
|
| Distribution of seats |
|
Round no 1
|
| Political Group |
Total
|
|
|
|
|
| Social Party of National Unity (Partido de la U) |
47
|
|
|
|
|
| Conservative Party (CP) |
38
|
|
|
|
|
| Liberal Party (PL) |
37
|
|
|
|
|
| Radical Change (RC) |
15
|
|
|
|
|
| National Integration Party (PIN) |
12
|
|
|
|
|
| Alternative Democratic Pole (ADP) |
4
|
|
|
|
|
| Green Party |
3
|
|
|
|
|
| Independent Absolute Renovation Movement (MIRA) |
3
|
|
|
|
|
| Liberal Opening (Apertura Liberal) |
2
|
|
|
|
|
| Regional Integration |
1
|
|
|
|
|
| Indigenous Social Alliance |
1
|
|
|
|
|
| Liberal Alternative |
1
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Distribution of seats according to sex |
Men
Women
Percent of women |
145
21
12.65%
|
| Distribution of seats according to age |
|
|
|
| Distribution of seats according to profession |
|
|
| Comments |
Sources:
Congress (07.02.2011, 01.01.2012)
http://www.registraduria.gov.co/elec2010/resultados.htm |
|
Compare data for parliamentary chambers in the Last elections module
