Requirements to form a political party in Colombia: know its functions, what it is and MORE

Political parties have become more integrated into society due to to its importance within the politics of a country, in this case for Colombia. The Latin American country has seen good and bad governments. There are young people who want to change this, and if that is your wish, here we will tell you the Requirements to Form a political party in Colombia.

We are not here to talk about how they performed their function but about the need for them.

Political parties are the main guardians of the candidates to participate in the elections. Therefore, parties have a great influence on the degree of political participation of young people at the local, regional and national levels.

In most countries, parties determine which candidates are nominated and elected and which issues achieve national prominence.

They decide who will be placed on their candidate lists and in what position. Nomination processes for void political parties have not always favored candidates Young people, as they are often placed low on candidate lists (in ‘closed list’ proportional representation electoral systems), with very limited chances of being elected.

Requirements to form a political party in Colombia

Form a new organization of national or state political parties: new party organizations must register with the government notary when they collect all the Requirements to Form a political party in Colombia:

• Have a national character as prescribed by an act of Parliament
• Have a democratically elected governing body
• Promote and defend national unity;
• Abide by the democratic principles of good governance
• Respect the right of all people to participate in the political process, including minorities and marginalized groups
• Be a Colombian citizen
• Have studies and experience in the political milieu
• Be of age

Participation in political parties often requires long-term commitments, which is difficult for young people trying to get an education and establish themselves in the job market. Middle-aged men tend to have a greater power base, because they comprise a large percentage of members.

However, in some cases, young people face more than one type of discrimination because of their gender or because they may also belong to other marginalized groups (i.e. indigenous peoples, people with disabilities. However it is not easy to exercise or create a party and defend this type of action.

These obstacles fuel a cycle in which young people become discouraged by the exclusionary nature of political parties and decide not to join them. In turn, because they do not unite, they lack the internal power base to win elections and nominations. Both must be addressed to break the cycle, however If you wish to do so, you must comply with all the Requirements to Form a political party in Colombia.

How to form a political party in Colombia?

When a local party organization is required to register with the notary, it becomes a political party. But nevertheless to formalize a match you will need to consult directly with an executive or lawyer that can help you at the notary’s office, as this process can take a long time between everything involved in creating a match.

On the other hand, a political party that wishes to participate in a federal general election or a by-election must submit an application to register with the Director of Elections. The application for registration must be signed by the party leader and include:

The full name of the political party

Either the abbreviated name of the party or the abbreviation of the name of the party, if applicable, that will appear on the electoral documents, such as the ballot and its logo and the fundamental purpose of the party. You will have to reconcile all Requirements to form a political party in Colombia

The policy on the protection of information

This must have the personal data, both the name and the address of the party leader. Plus a copy of the party’s resolution to appoint its leader certified by the leader and another party official to ensure that everything is valid. It is necessary to complete the Requirements to Form a political party in Colombia

Have an office address

It should contain information on where the records are kept and what communications may be directed. Also the names and addresses of the party’s officers and their signed consent to act (minimum of three officers)

The name and address of the auditor

After completing the above steps, you will need to get the auditor’s signed consent to act as the name and address of the party’s principal agent and your signed consent to act as the principal agent.

Possess the names, addresses and signatures of 250 voters

Have statements in the prescribed form that they are members of the party and support the party’s registration request.

Step by step to form a political party in Colombia

Starting a political party is an important task, and you will need a lot of support. Discover your group’s platform in the early stages, then work to get that message across through events, social media, and word of mouth. That is why you must follow the steps mentioned below to meet the requirements to form a political party in Colombia:

one. Organizing your followers

Organizing the supporters of your match will be the first steps to take because without this, there would not be total control of the fans and this can be chaotic without control.

two. Creating the party brand

Create the image and all the design for the party. This is necessary since as time passes many people will want to identify with the party and its leaders. This will cause the brand to act as an icon for those citizens who begin to follow its work. Creating the brand is also a procedure to complete the Requirements to Form a political party in Colombia.

3. Register the political party

To qualify as a political party, you will normally need a certain number of signatures. This may just be a difficult number, such as 1,000, or it may be a certain percentage of registered voters in your area, such as 5 percent. Pass in a paper or online form that advertises it as a petition to create a political party. Get supporters to sign.

Four. Meet specific eligibility requirements.

Extremely important since if you do not meet all the requirements you will not be able to legally carry out any electoral process. Catch up with your attorneys to finish processing the latest documents and complete the paperwork necessary to create a match.

5. Present official documentation of the match.

You will need to contact the election commission in your area to determine what documentation to submit. It typically involves an official form and copies of supporting documents, such as an organizational statement, contact information for officers, required signatures, and a financial statement.

Once you are officially registered, you should be able to have official candidates on the ballots for the elections.

Functions of a political party

The political parties perform an important task in government. They rally people to gain control of government, develop policies favorable to their interests or the groups that support them, and organize and persuade voters to choose their candidates for office. Although they are very involved in the operation of the government at all levels, the political parties are not the government itself.

On the other hand, the purpose basic of political parties is nominating candidates for public office and get as many as possible elected. Once elected, these officials attempt to achieve their party’s goals through legislation and program initiatives. Although many people don’t think this way. However, we will mention other functions:

• Representation of interest groups.

The people represented by elected officials are called constituents. Whether Republican or Democrat, constituents voice their concerns to their representatives.

• Simplifying elections

The two main political parties in Colombia appeal to as many different groups as possible. They do this by setting their goals broadly so that voters are drawn to a broad philosophy without necessarily focusing on each specific issue.

• Doing politics

Political parties are not policy-making organizations per se. They certainly take positions on important political issues, especially to provide alternatives to the position of whichever party is in power. When in power, a party tries to put its philosophy into practice through legislation.

How is a political party financed in Colombia?

Only candidates seeking to be nominated by a political party for public office are eligible to receive matching primary funds. A presidential candidate must establish eligibility by showing broad public support. He or she must raise more than $ 5,000 in each of at least 20 states (that is, more than $ 100,000).

Although an individual can contribute up to a specific limit for a primary candidate, only a maximum of $ 250 of each individual’s contribution is counted in determining whether a candidate has reached the $ 5,000 threshold in each state. This means that a candidate must receive contributions from a minimum of 20 contributors in each of at least 20 states.

However, some parties are financed by sponsors adjacent to any political medium. In all cases, it is necessary to complete the Requirements to Form a political party in Colombia.

What is a political party?

The Law defines a political party as «an organization whose fundamental objective is to participate in public affairs by endorsing one or more of its members as candidates and supporting their election.

Forming and registering a federal political party are two different things. There is no legislation that regulates the formation of federal political parties.

Elections cannot dictate how a federal political party should be formed or how its legal, internal, and financial structures should be established. Political parties cannot «pre-register» to «exist.»

The Law does not provide for the reservation or prior approval of the name of a party. However, once one of the parties exists, it can apply for registration under the Act.

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