At stake in this election:

• The office of President of Colombia

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: President Alvaro URIBE Velez
• Head of Government: President Alvaro URIBE Velez
• Assembly: Colombia has a bicameral Congress (Congreso) consisting of the Senate (Senado) with 102 seats and the House of Representatives (Camara de Representantes) with 166 seats.

Description of electoral system:

• The President is elected by absolute majority vote through a two-round system to serve a 4-year term.
• In the Senate (Senado) 102 members are elected through a party-list proportional representation system to serve 4-year terms*. In the House of Representatives (Camara de Representantes) 166 members are elected through a party-list proportional representation system to serve 4-year terms.**

* Parties are allowed to choose between closed and open lists. Most lists are open. There is 1 multi-member national constituency with 100 seats and 1 multi-member special national constituency for indigenious (Indian) communities with 2 seats.

** Parties are allowed to choose between closed and open lists. Most lists are open. There are 33 multi-member constituencies (departments), with each department containing at least 2 Representatives. There is an additional representative for every 250,000 inhabitants or for each fraction of more than 125,000 inhabitants that the department has above the first 250,000.

Main Candidates in the Presidential race:

• Juan Manuel SANTOS Calderón
  • Party: Social Party of National Unity (Party of the U) / Partido Social de Unidad Nacional (Partido de a U)
• Aurelijus Antanas MOCKUS Sivickas
  • Party: Green Party / Partido Verde Colombiano
• Gustavo Francisco PETRO Urrego
  • Party: Alternative Democratic Pole / Polo Democrático Alternativo (PDA)
• Rafael PARDO Rueda
  • Party: Colombian Liberal Party (PLC) / Partido Liberal Colombiano
• Germán VARGAS LLERAS
  • Party: Radical Change / Cambio Radical (CR)
• Noemí SANIN Posada
  • Party: Colombian Conservative Party / Partido Conservador Colombiano
• Jaime ARAJUO Renteria
  • Party: Afro-Colombian Social Alliance / Alianza Social Afrocolombiano (ASA)
• Róbinson DEVIA Gonzalez
  • Party: Voice of Conscience Movement / Movimiento la Voz de la Consciencia
• Jairo Enrique CALDERON Carrera
  • Party: Liberal Opening / Movimiento Apertura Liberal

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 45,918,101 (2010)
• Registered Voters: 29,983,279 (May 2010 )

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 23,277,202 (2010)

·         Is Colombia a signatory to CEDAW: Yes (17 July 1980)

·         Has Colombia ratified CEDAW: Yes (19 January 1982)

·         Gender Quota: Yes

·         Female candidates in this election: Yes

·         Number of Female Parliamentarians: 21 (House of Representatives); 17 (Senate) (following 2010 elections)

·         Human Development Index Position: 97 (2014)

·         Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: Low (2014)

Disability Data:

·         Is Colombia a signatory to CRPD: Yes (30 March 2007)

·         Has Colombia ratified CRPD: Yes (10 May 2011)

·         Population with a disability: 6,887,715 (est.)