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Power-Sharing in Colombia: Bipartisanship, Leftist Insurgencies, and Beyond

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Power-Sharing in the Global South

Part of the book series: Federalism and Internal Conflicts ((FEINCO))

Abstract

This chapter provides a general overview of the evolution and institutionalization of power-sharing agreements that have shaped Colombian politics since the early twentieth century. The chapter discusses how conservatives and liberals frequently adopted consociational pacts to address political violence in the country and analyzes the various results of these agreements over time. As the chapter identifies, Colombia’s practice of power-sharing was historically focused on political participation but was restrictive, exclusionary, and short-term. The power-sharing provisions did not eliminate the security threats emerging from ongoing armed conflict. The chapter discusses elements of power-sharing in peace agreements negotiated with armed groups since the 1980s. We conclude the chapter by discussing how the 2016 Agreement with FARC represents a shift in approach to consociationalism in Colombia as this latest iteration of power-sharing is comprehensive for its focus on political, security, economic, and territorial issues. If implemented, this comprehensiveness might facilitate building democratic and sustainable peace in Colombia.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    One of the key factors for the sustenance of the insurgency is illicit drugs, which is not the focus of this chapter. For more on the significance of illicit drugs, see Rabasa and Chalk (2001) and Holmes et al. (2006).

  2. 2.

    Table 4.1 provides a list of peace agreements.

  3. 3.

    The practice of amnesty, however, is not new in Colombian politics. The liberals and conservative parties frequently used pardons and amnesty to resolve their conflicts in the late and early parts of the 20 century (González, 2014).

  4. 4.

    The Special Peace District was ratified in Transitory Article 12 of the 1991 Constitution as a one-time measure in the 1991 Congress elections. The Special Territorial Circumscription for Peace was part of the government’s strategies to strengthen the implementation of the accords in 1994 and guaranteed seats at Municipal Councils of 199 towns and cities for members of the demobilized guerrillas.

  5. 5.

    See: Caracas Agenda, 1991.

  6. 6.

    After the dissolution of the CGSB the government and the ELN also attempted negotiations without arriving at a comprehensive peace agreement by 2021.

  7. 7.

    See: Common Agenda for the Path to a New Colombia, 1999.

  8. 8.

    See: Colombian Final Agreement, 2016.

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Author information

Author notes

  1. Madhav Joshi

    Present address: University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA

    Ana Sánchez Ramírez

Authors
  1. Ana Sánchez Ramírez
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  2. Madhav Joshi
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ana Sánchez Ramírez .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Law & Political Sciences, Holy Spirit University of Kaslik (USEK), Jounieh, Lebanon

    Eduardo Wassim Aboultaif

  2. Institute of Federalism, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland

    Soeren Keil

  3. Department of Political Science, Brandon University, Brandon, MB, Canada

    Allison McCulloch

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Ramírez, A.S., Joshi, M. (2024). Power-Sharing in Colombia: Bipartisanship, Leftist Insurgencies, and Beyond. In: Aboultaif, E.W., Keil, S., McCulloch, A. (eds) Power-Sharing in the Global South. Federalism and Internal Conflicts. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-45721-0_4

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