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Electoral history in Colombia
Colombia was the only country in Latin America with an electoral history at this time but it was interrupted by wars. -
Problems in the constitution
After the secession of Venezuela and Ecuador, the Constitution of this time had to solve the problem of who should be considered as nationals, in order to know who could exercise electoral activities, which is why, in the first instance, the slaves, who constituted a majority in the country were not considered citizens. -
The reform of the constitution
In 1843 a new Constitution was drawn up, which gave continuity to the notion of slavery and declared as citizens only free men born in the territory, but only gave the right to participate in electoral processes to those men free persons of legal age (21 years), those who had real estate located in the territory where its value was $ 300 or more or also if they had an annual income of at least $ 150, after the abolition of slavery occurred -
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Derecho al voto y abolicion de la esclavitud
Until 1853, only 5% of men had the right to vote, the other 95% did not participate for cultural, economic or citizenship reasons, but with the Constitution of 1853 several important changes emerged, such as slavery in the territory ended. national and all men born in the territory and married and who have reached the age of majority are declared citizens with the right to vote. Also in this Constitution is the popular vote for the most important public offices and the direct and secret vote. -
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A new constitution with the participation of liberals and conservatives
In 1858 the new constitution was released, which was with the participation of liberals and conservatives, where they still maintain the right to universal suffrage for all citizens. After 1859 to 1861 where the electoral exercise was truncated by the war, which in 1863 created a new constitution in which the central power no longer defined the conditions for an electoral process but gave each federal state freedom to establish its laws. -
The new stage of the constitution
In 1886 it marked the beginning of a new stage with the Constitution that declared as citizens Colombian men over twenty-one years of age who had a profession, trade or a lawful and legitimate occupation as a means of subsistence, although this was not enough to be able to exercise the right to vote, because in order to do so, citizens had to know how to read and write and have an annual income of more than five hundred pesos or properties that cost more than fifteen hundred pesos -
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Female vote and change in the age of majority
The Constitution was reformed in 1910, where all persons considered citizens can directly elect the President of the Republic. During the government of Gustavo Rojas Pinilla, elections were not held until the 1957 referendum where women won the right to vote in Colombia for the first time, thanks to this voting rights cover all men and women over 21 years of age . In 1986, the mayor and the governor held general elections, which are still ongoing, and are part of the current electoral system.