Colombia: Government Structure

Colombia is a unitary presidential republic with power divided among executive, legislative, and judicial branches under the Constitution of 1991, which replaced an earlier 1886 charter and expanded protections for civil rights and regional autonomy. The President is directly elected to a four-year term and serves as both head of state and head of government, leading the Council of Ministers, which comprises the senior appointed officials of the executive branch.

Legislative power is vested in a bicameral Congress made up of the Senate and the Chamber of Representatives, both elected for four-year terms that coincide with the presidential cycle. The Senate is elected largely through a national constituency, while representatives are chosen from departmental districts, and together the two chambers are responsible for passing laws, amending the Constitution, and exercising political oversight of the executive branch.

The judiciary operates independently and follows a civil law tradition organized around four high courts, each with distinct jurisdiction: the Constitutional Court, which rules on the constitutionality of laws; the Supreme Court of Justice, the highest court for ordinary civil and criminal matters; the Council of State, which oversees administrative law and disputes involving the government; and the Superior Council of the Judicature, which handles disciplinary and administrative matters within the judicial branch itself.