IFES
 

March 8, 2026 Confirmed

Colombia
Republic of Colombia
Election for Senado (Colombian Senate)


General Information

At Stake in this Election:  

  • 102 of 103 seats* in the Colombian Senate. 

  • Chief of State: President Gustavo PETRO URREGO (since 7 August 2022) 

  • Head of Government: President Gustavo PETRO URREGO (since 7 August 2022) 

  • Assembly: bicameral Congress of the Republic (Congreso de la República) with a 108-seat* Senate (Senado) and a 187-seat* House of Representatives (Cámara de Representantes).  

*Special Note: The number of seats in each chamber will change with the upcoming elections, as special allocations agreed under the 2016 Peace Agreement are set to expire. There will be 103 seats in the Senate (including the indirectly elected, second place presidential candidate in the 2026 executive elections), and 183 seats in the House of Representatives (including the indirectly elected, second place vice presidential candidate in the 2026 executive elections). 

  • The President is directly elected via simple majority vote in two rounds if needed. Presidents serve a 4 year term and cannot be re-elected.

  • 100 members of the Senate are directly elected from a single, nationwide constituency. 2 additional Senators are elected by a national constituency for indigenous communities.

  • Members of the House of Representatives are directly elected via mixed system. 162 members are elected by constituencies representing the country’s 32 departments and the capital city (each division is guaranteed at least 2 seats). Additionally, 4 representatives are elected via special constituencies, with 2 seats allocated for Afro-descendant communities, 1 seat for Indigenous communities, and 1 for an international constituency comprised of diaspora voters. An additional 16 seats are reserved in special transitional peace constituencies.

  • Members of both chambers serve 4-year terms and are not subject to term limits.

The last elections for the Colombian Senate were held on March 13, 2022. Historic Pact for Colombia won 16 seats, the Colombian Conservative Party won 16 seats, the Colombian Liberal Party won 15 seats, the Green Alliance-Hope Center won 14 seats, the Democratic Center won 14 seats, Radical Change won 11 seats, the Union Party for the People won 10 seats, and the MIRA Coalition won 4 seats. Voter turnout was 45%.  

 

Information for Voters: 

Capacitación Electoral, Ciudadanos Electores / Electoral Training, Citizens and Voters (in Spanish) 

As part of a 2016 peace accord between the Colombian government and the guerilla group known as the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia – Ejército del Pueblo (FARC), the Comunes party (formerly Fuerza Alternativa Revolucionaria del Común, the party constituted by former FARC combatants) was guaranteed 10 total seats in Congress (5 in each chamber) and guaranteed state funding for two electoral periods (2018-2022, and 2022-2026). This is the first election following the 2016 accord in which the party will not receive guaranteed seats. 

 

Key Deadlines: 

  • Anti-Corruption Governors’ League / Liga de Gobernantes Anticorrupción (LIGA) 

    • Seats won in the last election: 0 seats out of 108 

  • Broad Democratic Alliance Movement / Movimiento Alianza Democrática Amplia (ADA) 

    • Seats won in the last election: 0 seats out of 108 

  • Colombian Conservative Party / Partido Conservador Colombiano 

    • Seats won in the last election: 16 seats out of 108 

  • Colombian Democratic Party / Partido Demócrata Colombiano (PDC) 

    • Seats won in the last election: 0 seats out of 108 

  • Colombian Liberal Party / Partido Liberal Colombiano (L) 

    • Seats won in the last election: 15 seats out of 108 

  • Colombia Just and Free Party / Partido Colombia Justa Libres 

    • Seats won in the last election: 0 seats out of 108 

  • Comunes Party / Partido Comunes 

    • Seats won in the last election: 0 seats out of 108  

    • While the party did not win any seats via the popular vote, it was allotted 5 seats in line with the 2016 peace agreement between Colombian Government and the FARC.

  • Democratic Center Party / Partido Centro Democrático 

    • Seats won in the last election: 14 seats out of 108 

  • Democratic Hope Party / Partido Político Esperanza Democratica 

    • Seats won in the last election: 0 seats out of 108 

  • Dignity and Compromise Party / Partido Dignidad y Compromiso 

    • Seats won in the last election: 0 seats out of 108 

  • Ecologist Colombian Party / Partido Ecologista Colombiano  

    • Seats won in the last election: 0 seats out of 108 

  • Force Political Party / Partido Político La Fuerza 

    • Seats won in the last election: 0 seats out of 108 

  • Green Alliance Party / Partido Alianza Verde 

    • Seats won in the last election: 14 seats out of 108 

  • Historical Pact Political Movement / Movimiento Político Pacto Histórico 

    • Seats won in the last election: 16 seats out of 108 

  • Humane Colombia Movement / Movimiento Político Colombia Humana 

    • Seats won in the last election: 0 seats out of 108 

  • Labor Party of Colombia / Partido del Trabajo de Colombia (PTC) 

    • Seats won in the last election: 0 seats out of 108 

  • MIRA Political Party / Partido Político MIRA (MIRA) 

    • Seats won in the last election: 4 seats out of 108 

  • Oxygen Political Party / Partido Político Oxígeno 

    • Seats won in the last election: 0 seats out of 108 

  • Independent Social Alliance Party / Partido Alianza Social Independiente (ASI) 

    • Seats won in the last election: 0 seats out of 108 

  • Indigenous and Social Alternative Movement / Movimiento Alternativo Indígena y Social (MAIS) 

    • Seats won in the last election: 0 seats out of 108 

  • Indigenous Authorities of Colombia Movement / Movimiento Autoridades Indígenas de Colombia (AICO) 

    • Seats won in the last election: 0 seats out of 108 

  • National Salvation Movement / Movimiento Salvación Nacional  

    • Seats won in the last election: 0 seats out of 108 

  • New Liberalism Party / Nuevo Liberalismo

    • Seats won in the last election: 0 seats out of 108 

  • On the Move Political Party / Partido Político En Marcha 

    • Seats won in the last election: 0 seats out of 108 

  • Radical Change Party / Partido Cambio Radical (CR) 

    • Seats won in the last election: 11 seats out of 108 

  • Reborn Colombia Party / Colombia Renaciente 

    • Seats won in the last election: 0 seats out of 108 

  • Party of People’s Unity - Party of the U / Partido de la Unión Por La Gente - Partido de la U (U) 

    • Seats won in the last election: 10 seats out of 108 

One of the 108 Senate seats was also allotted to the second place Presidential Candidate in the 2022 executive races, Rodolfo Hernández Suárez. 

 

Country Context: 

 

Gender Data: 

  • CEDAW Status: Signed 17 July 1980, Ratified 19 January 1982 

  • Gender Quota: Yes, legislated quotas for the number of percentage of women and 5% of the total state funding for political parties is distributed based on the number of women representatives in a given party. 

  • Female Candidates in this election: Yes 

 

Disability Data: 

  • Projected population with a disability: 8,461,818 (2024 estimate) 

 

IFES Resources: 

Election Modified: Feb 25, 2026

Most Recent Elections in Colombia

With Participation Rates