Countries of the World/COUNTRYS.BIN/dp/0092/00921.txt

Text File | 1991-06-24 | 18KB | 368 lines

$Unique_ID{COW00921}
$Pretitle{226}
$Title{Colombia
The National Government}
$Subtitle{}
$Author{Colombian Information Service}
$Affiliation{Embassy of Colombia, Washington DC}
$Subject{colombia
per
cent
coffee
colombian
colombia's
trade
national
country's
government}
$Date{1988}
$Log{Presidents Bush and Gaviria*0092101.scf
}
Country:     Colombia
Book:        A Sketch of Colombia
Author:      Colombian Information Service
Affiliation: Embassy of Colombia, Washington DC
Date:        1988

The National Government

[See Presidents Bush and Gaviria: Courtesy Embassy of Colombia, Washington.]

The Constitution

     The Republic of Colombia has a democratic form of government, with public
power divided among three branches: Executive, Legislative and Judicial.
Colombia's present Constitution dates from 1886, although it has undergone
substantial revisions since then.

     The Constitution guarantees private property rights. Civil rights and
social guarantees include freedom of education, the right to strike (except in
the public sector), public aid to those unable to support themselves, freedom
of assembly, of the press, and the right to petition. Under the Constitution,
women have equal political rights as men. Suffrage is exercised by all
citizens over 18 years old.

     Private parties, whether domestic or foreign may sue the nation, and
access to Colombian courts for foreigners is assured by the Constitution,
which also ensures that foreigners enjoy those civil rights and guarantees
accorded to Colombians.

     Congress has customarily been the instrument for constitutional reforms.
However, in some cases they have been decided by national referendum.

The Executive Branch

     The Executive Branch of the Government consists of the President, his
Cabinet, the heads of the Administrative Departments, and a number of
Autonomous Agencies. The President is elected every four years by direct
national vote and cannot succeed himself.

     Presidential candidates are generally chosen by each party in a
convention. These are attended by former presidents (one of whom usually acts
as the chairman), former cabinet members, congressmen, governors and
councilmen as well as representatives of labor and the students.

     The President appoints his Cabinet Ministers, Chiefs of Administrative
Departments, and top government employees not under civil service, as well
as the Governors of all the Departments (States), and heads of other
territories. There is no Vice President; instead a presidential alternate
called Designado is elected by Congress. The Designado does not have executive
functions and acts only in temporary or permanent absence of the President.
The government's highest consultative body in matters of public administration
is the Council of State, whose members are elected by Congress.

     Colombia is divided for administrative purposes into 23 departments
("states"), 4 territorial districts ("intendencias"), 5 special districts
(comisarias") and the Special District of Bogota. The President of the
Republic appoints a Governor to head each department and to act as agent of
the national government. Each Department elects its legislature, which has
administrative and financial responsibilities. Within each Department are the
Municipalities, headed by Mayors and governed by an elected municipal council.
Under a recent constitutional reform, Mayors are now elected by popular vote.

Legislative Branch

     Legislative power is exercised by a Congress composed of a 113 member
Senate and a Chamber of Representatives with 203 members, all of whom are
elected for four year terms on the basis of proportional representation based
on vote count. Regular sessions of Congress are held each year from July to
December.

     Legislative bills may be proposed in either house and require the
approval of the appropriate permanent committee and of the majority of each
house. Bills relating to the budget, economic development plans, public debt,
international exchange and tariffs, however, must be proposed by the executive
branch.

     Legislative bills are subject to Presidential approval or veto, which can
be overridden by Congress. Constitutional amendments require the approval of
an absolute majority of the members of each house during two successive
ordinary sessions.

Judicial Branch

     Colombia has had a single national court and legal system since 1886. The
highest court of judicial review is the Supreme Court. Supreme Court justices
are selected by other members of the court and by judges of superior
tribunals. Circuit courts and municipal court judges in each judicial district
are selected by higher courts. The Council of State acts as the highest review
body in matters involving constitutional law.

Political Parties

     Since the middle of the 19th century Colombia's two major political
parties have been the Liberal and Conservative Parties. Since the adoption of
the 1886 Constitution all but one of Colombia's presidents have been elected
from the Conservative or Liberal Parties. The Conservatives were in power
during the 1886-1930 and 1946-1953 periods, the Liberals between 1930 and
1946. The period between the middle 1930s and 1953 was characterized by
conflicts of varying intensity between the Liberals and Conservatives.
Colombia was under military rule briefly between 1953 and 1957.

     In 1957 the Liberals and Conservatives reached an agreement and formed
the National Front, after which the Constitution was amended by a national
plebiscite. The amendment provided for alternating the Presidency between the
Liberal and Conservative Parties, and equal legislative representation and
judicial powers until the 1964 election. After 1974 each party nominated its
own presidential candidate. Currently, Virgilio Barco, a Liberal, serves as
President for the 1986-1990 period.

Social Legislation

     Colombia has nationwide compulsory social security, paid for by the
government, employers and employees. Legislation enacted in 1971 extends
protection to non-salaried people, including self-employed, small businessmen
and other workers in both rural and urban areas. It provides disability, old
age and death benefits, and coverage of non-occupational illnesses, maternity,
sickness, as well as on-the-job accidents.

     Administered by the country's Institute of Social Security (ICSS), other
benefits include severance compensation for dismissal without cause, for which
indemnities range in accordance with length of employment. Other coverage
includes pensions, vacation benefits, service bonus, group life insurance, job
training, transportation subsidies, clothing allowances, family educational
benefits, and a scholarship program.

     Maximum working hours are 48 per week. The normal working day is eight
hours, with overtime premiums of 25 per cent during the day and 75 per cent
for night work.

     Colombia's basic labor law covers all inhabitants, regardless of
nationality, and guarantees individual and collective rights.

ECONOMIC GROWTH AND FOREIGN TRADE

Economy

     Colombia's economy, both varied and productive, is a result of its
unusual geographic conditions and abundant natural resources. The main
agricultural products include coffee, sugar, rice, corn, potatoes, cotton and
bananas. Agriculture contributes 21.3 per cent to the GDP. Colombia encourages
diversification of exports to improve its balance of payments position and to
diversify the country's economy. Export diversification has taken place in
manufacturing, mining and agriculture, and there has been successful expansion
in areas such as textiles, apparel, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, oil, coal
flowers, printing and publishing. In 1967, the government's efforts to
increase non-traditional exports were stepped up with the creation of Proexpo
(Colombian Trade Development Bureau), and a flexible exchange rate and special
tax incentives.

     The foundation of Colombia's national economy today is based on
a