Colombia
Senate
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Political system
Political systems: Presidential, Parliamentary, Presidential-Parliamentary, Monarchy, Communist, Transitional.
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Presidential system
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Structure of parliament
Structure of parliament: Unicameral, bicameral
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Bicameral
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IPU membership
Current membership status
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Yes
Election results
Data on parliamentary elections, including the background, candidates, voter turnout, results and the formation of the new legislature. By default the latest election results are displayed. Select a date to view results from previous elections.
Background
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Election date(s)
The date when elections started and ended for directly or indirectly elected parliaments/chambers. The date of appointments for appointed parliaments/chambers.
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11 Mar 2018 to 18 Mar 2018
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Date of dissolution of the outgoing legislature
Date at which the previous legislature (elected at the previous elections) was dissolved.
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No information available
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Timing of election
Timing of election: Upon normal expiry; Early elections; Delayed elections
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Upon normal expiry
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Number of seats at stake
Number of seats contested at the elections. Where the parliament/chamber is fully renewed, this number is usually identical to the statutory number of members. Where the parliament/chamber is partially renewed or appointed, the number of seats at stake is usually less than the total number of members.
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102
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Scope of elections
Scope of elections: Full renewal; Partial renewal.
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Full renewal
Candidates
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Number of parties contesting the election
This field may include either the number of parties contesting the election, or the number of coalitions/electoral alliance.
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23
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Total number of candidates
Total number of people who registered as candidates for election. Does not include people who stood as candidates to become "substitute members".
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1,114
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Number of male candidates
Number of male candidates
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806
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Number of female candidates
Number of female candidates
View field in the data dictionary -
308
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Percentage of women candidates
The percentage is calculated by dividing the number of women candidates by the total number of candidates.
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27.6%
Voter turnout
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Registered voters
Number of people registered to vote
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36,493,318
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Voters
Number of people who actually voted
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17,818,185
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Voter turnout
The percentage is calculated by dividing the number of people who actually voted by the number of people registered to vote
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48.8%
Results
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About the election
Short description of the context and results of the election.
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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.
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Number of parties winning seats
The number of parties which won parliamentary representation in the given election.
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11
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Percentage of parties winning seats
The percentage is calculated by dividing the number of parties which won parliamentary representation by the number of parties contesting the election.
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47.8%
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Percentage of seats won by largest party or coalition
The percentage is calculated by dividing the number of seats won by the largest party by the number of seats at stake in the election.
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18.6%
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Alternation of power after elections
The results of the elections caused a change in the government. "Not applicable" to countries using the presidential system when parliamentary and presidential elections are held separately, to countries in political transition or where there is no party system.
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Not applicable
Parties or coalitions winning seats
Political group | Total |
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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 |
Members elected, by sex
- Number of men elected
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71
- Number of women elected
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31
Notes:
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 will increase from 102 to 108, while that of representatives will increase from 166 to 172.
According to preliminary election results available in April 2018, there were 31 women among the 102 senators directly elected in the 2018 elections. In July, 23 women were sworn into the Senate. However, the election of one female senator was invalidated in September and two male senators did not take up their seats. Consequently, there were 22 women out of 105 senators.
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Percentage of women elected
The percentage is calculated by dividing the number of women elected by the number of seats filled.
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30.4%
- Women Directly Elected
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23
- Sources
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Senate (03.04.2018)
UN Women (28.03.2019)
Registraduría Nacional del Estado Civil
Americas Society / Council of the Americas (8.03.2018)
BBC Monitoring
Report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Verification Mission in Colombia (S/2018/279)
New York Times
The Guardian
The Bogota Post
El Espectador
New legislature
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Total number of men after the election
The total number of male parliamentarians in this parliament/chamber following the election or renewal, regardless of their modes of designation.
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85
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Total number of women after the election
The total number of female parliamentarians in this parliament/chamber following the election or renewal, regardless of their modes of designation.
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23
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Percentage of women after the election
The percentage is calculated by dividing the total number of women in this parliament/chamber by the current number of members.
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21.3%
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First-term parliamentarians
The number of members who are assuming their parliamentary mandate for the first time following the election or renewal, regardless of their mode of designation.
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65
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Percentage of first-term parliamentarians
The percentage is calculated by dividing the number of first-term parliamentarians by the number of seats at stake in the election.
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60.2%
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Date of the first session
The date when the newly elected parliament/chamber was convened for the first time. It may be different from the date when members were sworn in.
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20 Jul 2018
First Speaker of the new legislature
- Personal details for the first Speaker of the new legislature
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Ernesto Macías Tovar (Male)
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Political party
The political party to which the Speaker belonged to at the moment of the election. In some parliaments, the Speaker suspends or relinquishes their party membership during their term in office and is considered as an independent member.
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Democratic Centre (CD)
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Date of election
The date of the election of the Speaker may be different from the date of the first session of the new legislature.
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20 Jul 2018