General Information
At stake in this election:
- 102 seats in the Senate
Description of government structure:
- Chief of State: President Andres PASTRANA ARANGO
- Head of Government: President Andres PASTRANA ARANGO
- Assembly: Colombia has a bicameral Congress (Congreso) consisting of the Senate (Senado) with 102 seats and the House of Representatives (Camara de Representantes) with 166 seats.
Description of electoral system:
- The President is elected by popular vote to serve a 4-year term.
- In the Senate (Senado) 102 members are elected by party list to serve 4-year terms. In the House of Representatives (Camara de Representantes) 166 members are elected by popular vote to serve 4-year terms.
Main Parties in the election:
- Liberal Party
- Social Conservative Party
Last Legislative election:
- Legislative elections were last held on 8 March 1998. In this election, the Liberal Party won 98 seats, while the Social Conservative Party took 52. 11 seats went to other parties.
Population and number of registered voters:
- Population: 41,572,493 (2002)
- Registered Voters: 20,765,756
Gender Data:
· Female Population: 21,025,293 (1998)
· Is Colombia a signatory to CEDAW: Yes (17 July 1980)
· Has Colombia ratified CEDAW: Yes (19 January 1982)
· Gender Quota: Yes
· Female candidates in this election: Yes
· Number of Female Parliamentarians: 20 (House of Representatives); 9 (Senate) (following 2002 elections)
· Human Development Index Position: 97 (2014)
· Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: Low (2014)
Disability Data:
· Is Colombia a signatory to CRPD: Yes (30 March 2007)
· Has Colombia ratified CRPD: Yes (10 May 2011)
· Population with a disability: 6,235,873 (est.)