Colombia: Government

Colombia is governed under the constitution of 1991 as amended. The president, who is elected for a single four-year term (from 2004 to 2015 a second term was permitted), is head of state and of government. The bicameral Congress consists of a 102-seat Senate, whose members are elected nationally, and a 166-seat House of Representatives, whose members are elected from multimember districts on a proportional basis. Members of both houses are elected to four-year terms. Administratively, Colombia is divided into 32 departments and the capital district.

Sections in this article:

• Introduction
• Mid-Century to the Present
• The New Nation
• History to 1858
• Government
• Economy
• People
• Land
• Bibliography

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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