<hdr>The World Factbook 1994: Colombia<nl>Government</hdr><body>
<list>
<item><hi format=bold>Names:</hi>
<list style=hang>
<item>• <hi format=ital>conventional long form:</hi> Republic of Colombia
<item>• <hi format=ital>conventional short form:</hi> Colombia
<item>• <hi format=ital>local long form:</hi> Republica de Colombia
<item>• <hi format=ital>local short form:</hi> Colombia
</list>
<item><hi format=bold>Digraph:</hi> CO
<item><hi format=bold>Type:</hi> republic; executive branch dominates government structure
<item><hi format=bold>Capital:</hi> Bogota
<item><hi format=bold>Administrative divisions:</hi> 32 departments (departamentos, singular—departamento) and 1 capital district* (distrito capital); Amazonas, Antioquia, Arauca, Atlantico, Bogota*, Bolivar, Boyaca, Caldas, Caqueta, Casanare, Cauca, Cesar, Choco, Cordoba, Cundinamarca, Guainia, Guaviare, Huila, La Guajira, Magdalena, Meta, Narino, Norte de Santander, Putumayo, Quindio, Risaralda, San Andres y Providencia, Santander, Sucre, Tolima, Valle del Cauca, Vaupes, Vichada
<item><hi format=bold>Independence:</hi> 20 July 1810 (from Spain)
<item><hi format=bold>National holiday:</hi> Independence Day, 20 July (1810)
<item><hi format=bold>Constitution:</hi> 5 July 1991
<item><hi format=bold>Legal system:</hi> based on Spanish law; a new criminal code modeled after US procedures was enacted in 1992-93; judicial review of executive and legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
<item><hi format=bold>Suffrage:</hi> 18 years of age; universal and compulsory
<item><hi format=bold>Executive branch:</hi>
<list style=hang>
<item>• <hi format=ital>chief of state and head of government:</hi> President Cesar GAVIRIA Trujillo (since 7 August 1990); President-designate Juan Manuel SANTOS (since NA 1993); election last held 27 May 1990 (next to be held May 1994); results—Cesar GAVIRIA Trujillo (Liberal Party) 47%, Alvaro GOMEZ Hurtado (National Salvation Movement) 24%, Antonio NAVARRO Wolff (AD/M-19) 13%, Rodrigo LLOREDA (Conservative Party) 12%
<item>• <hi format=ital>note:</hi> a new government will be inaugurated on 7 August 1994; the presidential election of 29 May 1994 resulted in no candidate receiving more than 50% of the total vote and a run-off election to select a president from the two leading candidates was held on 19 June 1994; results—Ernesto SAMPER Pizano (Liberal Party) 50.4%, Andres PASTRANA Arango (Conservative Party) 48.6%, blank votes 1%; Humberto de la CALLE was elected vice president; electing a vice president is a new proceedure that replaces the traditional appointment of president-designates by newly elected presidents
<item>• <hi format=ital>cabinet:</hi> Cabinet
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<item><hi format=bold>Legislative branch:</hi> bicameral Congress (Congreso)
<item><hi format=bold>Senate (Senado):</hi> elections last held 13 March 1994 (next to be held NA March 1998); preliminary results—percent of vote by party NA; seats—(102 total) Liberal Party 59, conservatives (includes PC, MSN, and NDF) 31, other 12
<item><hi format=bold>House of Representatives (Camara de Representantes):</hi> elections last held 13 March 1994 (next to be held NA March 1998); preliminary results—percent of vote by party NA; seats—(161 total) Liberal Party 89, conservatives (includes PC, MSN, and NDF) 53, AD/M-19 2, other 17
<item><hi format=bold>Judicial branch:</hi> Supreme Court of Justice (Corte Suprema de Justical), Constitutional Court, Council of State
<item><hi format=bold>Political parties and leaders:</hi> Liberal Party (PL), Ernesto SAMPER Pizano, president; Conservative Party (PC), Misael PASTRANA Borrero; National Salvation Movement (MSN), Alvaro GOMEZ Hurtado; New Democratic Force (NDF), Andres PASTRANA Arango; Democratic Alliance M-19 (AD/M-19) is a coalition of small leftist parties and dissident liberals and conservatives; Patriotic Union (UP) is a legal political party formed by Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and Colombian Communist Party (PCC), Carlos ROMERO
<item><hi format=bold>Other political or pressure groups:</hi> three insurgent groups are active in Colombia—Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), Manuel MARULANDA and Alfonso CANO; National Liberation Army (ELN), Manuel PEREZ; and dissidents of the recently demobilized People's Liberation Army (EPL), Francisco CARABALLO; Francisco CARABALLO was captured by the government in June 1994
<item>• <hi format=ital>consulate(s) general:</hi> Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, San Juan (Puerto Rico), and Washington
<item>• <hi format=ital>consulate(s):</hi> Atlanta, Detroit, Los Angeles, and Tampa
<item><hi format=bold>Flag:</hi> three horizontal bands of yellow (top, double-width), blue, and red; similar to the flag of Ecuador, which is longer and bears the Ecuadorian coat of arms superimposed in the center