President of Colombia

President of the Republic of Colombia Presidente de la República de Colombia
Presidential seal
Presidential Standard
Incumbent Juan Manuel Santos since 7 August 2010
Residence	Casa de Nariño
Term length	Four years
Inaugural holder	Simón Bolívar
Formation	17 December 1819
Salary	$23.460.630 ($13.000 USD)
Website	Presidencia de la República

Colombia

This article is part of the series: Politics and government of Colombia

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The President of Colombia (Presidente de la República de Colombia) is the head of state and head of government of the Republic of Colombia. The office of president was established upon the ratification of the Constitution of 1819, by the Congress of Angostura, convened in December 1819, when Colombia was part of "la Gran Colombia". The first president, General Simón Bolívar,^[1] took office in 1819. His position, initially self-proclaimed, was subsequently ratified by Congress.

The current president of the Republic of Colombia is Juan Manuel Santos.

Functions

According to the Colombian Constitution of 1991, Article 188: The President of Colombia is the head of state, head of government and Supreme Administrative Authority. The President of Colombia symbolizes the National Unity and after taking an oath to the Constitution of Colombia and swearing to defend and protect the nation's laws, he is charged to guarantee and protect the Rights and Liberties of all the Colombian nationals. [1]

The Administrative Department of the Presidency of Colombia has the commission to assist or support the President of Colombia on its constitutional mandated functions and legal issues. [2]

Colombian Constitution of 1991 Article 115: States that the National Government is formed by the President of Colombia, the Vice President of Colombia, the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Colombia and the Directors of the Administrative Departments of Colombia. Any official from these entities constitute the Government of Colombia in any particular business.

Any act by the President of Colombia, in order to be legal and enforceable, must be sanctioned by any of the ministries or department directors, who will also be held responsible for the act. The only exception is if the President appoints or removes minister, administrative departments' directors and any other officials appointed by him under his administrative authority. Governors of the Departments of Colombia, Mayors of Municipalities of Colombia, as well as regional Superintendents of Colombia, public establishments and industrial and commercial state owned enterprises, are all part of the Executive branch of Colombia.

General description

The Colombian Constitution of 1991, coupled with several articles of amendment, establishes the requirements an eligible candidate must meet in order to become president, as well as the term of office, method of election, and powers.

Requirements for holding office

Colombian Constitution of 1991 Article 191: states that the president must be a natural born citizen of Colombia and at least 30 years of age. [3]

Term of office and election

Main article: Elections in Colombia

The president and vice president serve a term of office of four years after being elected by popular vote. Reelection in Colombia was not allowed until November 24, 2005 when the Colombian Congress approved it by introducing the Electoral Guarantees Law (Ley de Garantias Electorales) which modified Article 152, of the Colombian Constitution of 1991. The President or Vice President desiring a reelection must officially postulate its candidacy in the National Electoral Council and guarantee a fair competition for the other contenders, because of this, participation of acting officials in political proselytism was standardized. If the president or vice president are not running for office they are prohibited from participating on political proselytism. If one or both are participating, he/she is authorized to participate in these activities four months prior to the primary elections. Also, if the president and/or vice president are running for office they will also be authorized to participate in their political party's selection mechanism to postulate candidates. [4]

In 2010, the Constitutional Court of Colombia threw out a planned referendum to allow presidents to run for three consecutive terms. It ruled that Colombian presidents cannot serve three terms, even if they are nonconsecutive.^[2]

Last election

Main article: Colombian presidential election, 2010

e • d Summary of the 30 May 2010 and 20 June 2010 Colombian presidential election results

Candidates – Parties	First round		Second round
	Votes	%	Votes	%
Juan Manuel Santos – Social Party of National Unity (Partido de «la U»)	6,802,043	46.68	9,028,943	69.13
Antanas Mockus – Green Party (Partido Verde)	3,134,222	21.51	3,587,975	27.47
Germán Vargas Lleras – Radical Change (Cambio Radical)	1,473,627	10.11
Gustavo Petro – Alternative Democratic Pole (Polo Democrático Alternativo)	1,331,267	9.14
Noemí Sanín – Colombian Conservative Party (Partido Conservador Colombiano)	893,819	6.13
Rafael Pardo – Colombian Liberal Party (Partido Liberal Colombiano)	638,302	4.38
Róbinson Devia – Voice of Conscience Movement (Movimiento la Voz de la Consciencia)	31,338	0.22
Jairo Calderón – Liberal Opening (Movimiento Apertura Liberal)	29,151	0.20
Jaime Araújo – Afro-Colombian Social Alliance (Alianza Social Afrocolombiano)	14,847	0.10
Total votes for candidates	14,348,616	98.46	12,616,918	96.60
Blank votes	223,977	1.54	444,274	3.40
Total valid votes	14,572,593	100.00	13,061,192	100.00
Null votes	170,874		198,003
Unmarked ballots	37,553		37,729
Total votes cast	14,781,020		13,296,924
Source: Registraduría Nacional del Estado Civil, Registraduría Nacional del Estado Civil

See also

• List of Presidents of Colombia
• Vice President of Colombia
  • List of Vice Presidents of Colombia
• Council of Ministers of the Republic of Colombia
• Politics of Colombia

References

1. ^ Gobernantes Colombianos, Ignacio Arismendi Posada, Interprint Editors Ltd., Italgraf, Segunda Edición, Page 15, Bogotá, Colombia, 1983
2. ^ Buckman, Robert T. (2010). The World Today Series: Latin America 2010. Harpers Ferry, West Virginia: Stryker-Post Publications. ISBN 9781935264125. 

References

• Presidencia de la Republica de Colombia - Funciones Presidenciales
• Georgetown University - Requisites to be President of Colombia
• Presidencia de Colombia - Ley de Garantias Electorales