Political system
Presidential system
Structure of parliament
Bicameral
IPU membership
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

Election date(s)
11 Mar 2018 to 18 Mar 2018
Date of dissolution of the outgoing legislature
No information available
Timing of election
Upon normal expiry
Number of seats at stake
102
Scope of elections
Full renewal

Candidates

Number of parties contesting the election
23
Total number of candidates
1,114
Number of male candidates
806
Number of female candidates
308
Percentage of women candidates
27.6%

Voter turnout

Registered voters
36,493,318
Voters
17,818,185
Voter turnout
48.8%

Results

About the election

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.

Number of parties winning seats
11
Percentage of parties winning seats
47.8%
Percentage of seats won by largest party or coalition
18.6%
Alternation of power after elections
Not applicable

Parties or coalitions winning seats

Parties or coalitions winning seats
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
Members elected, by sex
Number of men elected
71
Number of women elected
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.

Percentage of women elected
30.4%
Women Directly Elected
23
Sources

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

Total number of men after the election
85
Total number of women after the election
23
Percentage of women after the election
21.3%
First-term parliamentarians
65
Percentage of first-term parliamentarians
60.2%
Date of the first session
20 Jul 2018

First Speaker of the new legislature

Personal details for the first Speaker of the new legislature
Ernesto Macías Tovar (Male)
Political party
Democratic Centre (CD)
Date of election
20 Jul 2018

Historical data for IPU membership

Historical data for IPU membership
Year IPU membership
2020-09
List of values for 2020-09
No
2019-04
List of values for 2019-04
No
2018-06
List of values for 2018-06
No