.

MundoAndino Home : Colombia Guide at Mundo Andino

Senate of Colombia


The Senate of the Republic of Colombia is the upper house of the Congress of Colombia, with the lower house being the Chamber of Representatives of Colombia. The Senate has 102 members elected for concurrent (non-rotating) four-year terms.

Election process

According to the Colombian Constitution of 1991, 100 senators (senadores) are elected from a single national candidate list. The remaining two are elected from a special list set aside for Indigenous peoples communities and Afro-Colombian minorities. Senators can be elected by Colombian citizens abroad.

Requirements

To be a senator, a person must be a natural-born Colombian citizen who has attained the age of 30 years at the moment of election.

Exclusive powers of the Senate

Approve or reject the resignations of both the President and the Vice-President.

Approve or reject all military rank promotion at all grades.

Grant leaves of absence for the President in cases other than sickness, and determine whether the reasons for the leave are worthy.

Allow for the transit of foreign troops through Colombian territory.

Authorize the Government to declare war on a foreign nation.

Elect the Constitutional Court justices.

Elect the Attorney General.

Current senators and political parties

The present composition of the Senate of the Republic of Colombia was elected for the period between July 20, 2006 until July 20, 2010. Some 37 congressmen are under investigation for maintaining ties with the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia, some have been suspended from the senate while their respective investigations conclude. Many of these members have been separated indefinitely and condemned to serve prison time.

Of the 102 elected congressman and women that took office on July 20, 2006. 52 were reelected for another term, 25 had previously served in the Chamber of Representatives of Colombia in the 2002-2006 term, 3 returned to the senate after a few years of absence and 22 were elected to congress for the first time.

See also

List of Presidents of the Senate of Colombia

External links

Senate of Colombia official website

Congreso Visible - civilian oversight program

Democracia a distancia - oversight program for Colombian expatriates

Didn't find what you were looking for.
Need more information for your travel research or homework?
Ask your questions at the forum about Government of Colombia or help others to find answers.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Senate of Colombia


Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - 2009