Colombia-Politics


 * __Background__**

Colombia is a Republic predominately run by the Executive Branch of government. Much like the United States, Presidents and Vice Presidents were traditionally voted into political offices for a single four-year term to function as the head of __government__ and __head of state.__ This was true until October 19, 2005, when the Congress of Colombia made changes to their constitution, allowing Presidents to serve up to two four-year terms. But, mayors of cities, governors, and other branch officials can only serve for a three year term. They can serve again, but not right away.

Álvaro Uribe Vélez, President of Colombia [1]

Several things differentiate Colombia's political system from other South American nations. Colombia has had a long history of "Party-Politics," including regular elections, and respect for political and civil rights. The two main parties, The Liberals and the Conservatives, have competed for power since the nineteenth century (much like the U.S.). However, Colombia's armed forces have seized power on three occasions: 1830, 1854, and 1953. The 1953 coup signified the falling in power of regular political parties, and significant rise in power for the military and high ranking military officials. [1]


 * __Conflict in Colombia__**

In the 1970's, 1980's and 1990's a violent conflict emerged throughout Colombia, when powerful drug cartels became very influential in the political, social, economic, and militant branches of Colombia's government, leading to extreme corruption and causing much violence. These drug cartels provided financial support to militant groups to fight for one cartel's political standpoints, leading to unrest and civil war that still exists in Colombia today, and is the largest contributing factor to the refugee crisis.

Today, Colombia is still ravaged by violence and corruption. The drug cartels still are deeply seeded in the political underbelly of the Colombian government. Large guerilla movements like the FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, and the largest guerilla militant group) are still being funded and almost unopposed throughout Colombia. Drug cartels have much control in the military of Colombia also, making it a difficult situation to diminish the power of the drug cartels. The drug cartels conduct terrorist attacks towards civilians to instill a sense of fear, conduct political executions to keep suspected political enemies quiet, and to discourage any opposition at all. [2]

An FARC militant [2]


 * __Colombian Crime__**

Colombia has become plagued with an extremely high crime rate for the last five decades. It is infamous for its drug production (mainly cocaine), kidnappings, murders/assassinations, and other types of crime.
 * An estimated 100,000 people have been murdered as a result of drug trade, or political assassinations, in the last forty years (second highest in the world)
 * Over ninety percent of those murdered are males
 * There are an estimated 402, 782 acres of "Coca" (cocaine plant) being grown illegally in Colombia today
 * From the years 1992 to 1999, a total of 5,181 kidnappings were reported, two thirds of these reported from Colombia
 * In the year 2005 in Colombia, almost 19,000 vehicles were reported stolen
 * In the years 2002 to 2005, 18,111 people were murdered in Colombia [4]


 * //__Quick Facts__//**

**Back to Colombia Homepage**
Sources http://www.cocaine.org/colombia/farc.jpg [1] http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/cotoc.html [2] http://www.policia.gov.co/inicio/portal/unidades/dijin.nsf/paginas/RevistadeCriminalidad2005 [3] [|http://www.wikipedia.org] [4]