(Senado): elections last held 13 March 1994 (next to be heldNA March 1998); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (102
total) Liberal Party 59, conservatives (includes PC, MSN, and NDF)
31, other 12
House of Representatives (Camara de Representantes): elections last
held 13 March 1994 (next to be held NA March 1998); seats - (161
total) Liberal Party 89, conservatives (includes PC, MSN, and NDF)
53, AD/M-19 2, other 17
Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Justice (Corte Suprema de
Justical), highest court of criminal law, judges are selected from
the nominees of the Higher Council of Justice for eight-year terms;
Council of State, highest court of administrative law, judges are
selected from the nominees of the Higher Council of Justice for
eight-year terms; Constitutional Court, guards integrity and
supremacy of the constitution, rules on constitutionality of laws,
amendments to the constitution, and international treaties
Political parties and leaders: Liberal Party (PL), Luis Fernando
JARAMILLO; Conservative Party (PC), Jaime ARIAS; New Democratic
Force (NDF), Andres PASTRANA Arango; Democratic Alliance M-19
(AD/M-19) is a coalition of small leftist parties and dissident
liberals and conservatives; Patriotic Union (UP) is a legal
political party formed by Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia
(FARC) and Colombian Communist Party (PCC), Aida ABELLA; National
Salvation Movement (MSN) Alvaro GOMEZ Hurtado
Other political or pressure groups: three insurgent groups are
active in Colombia - Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC);
National Liberation Army (ELN); and dissidents of the recently
demobilized People's Liberation Army (EPL/D)
International organization participation: AG, CCC, CDB, ECLAC,
FAO, G- 3, G-11, G-24, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU,
ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC,
IOM, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNU, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Carlos LLERAS de la Fuente
chancery: 2118 Leroy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 387–8338
FAX: [1] (202) 232–8643
consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami,
New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, San Juan (Puerto Rico), and
Washington, DC
consulate(s): Atlanta and Tampa
US diplomatic representation: chief of mission: Ambassador Myles R. R. FRECHETTE embassy: Calle 22D-BIS, No. 47–51, Apartado Aereo 3831 mailing address: APO AA 34038 telephone: [57] (1) 315–0811 FAX: [57] (1) 315–2197 consulate(s): Barranquilla
Flag: three horizontal bands of yellow (top, double-width), blue, and red; similar to the flag of Ecuador, which is longer and bears the Ecuadorian coat of arms superimposed in the center
Economy———
Economic overview: Boasting a diversified and stable economy, Colombia has enjoyed Latin America's most consistent record of growth over the last several decades. Gross domestic product (GDP) has expanded every year for more than 25 years, and unlike many other South American countries, Colombia did not default on any of its official debts during the "lost decade" of the 1980s. Since 1990, when Bogota introduced a comprehensive reform program that opened the economy to foreign trade and investment, GDP growth has averaged more than 4% annually. Growth has been fueled in recent years by the expansion of the construction and financial service industries and an influx of foreign capital. Some foreign investors have been deterred by an inadequate energy and transportation infrastructure and the violence stemming from drug trafficking and persistent rural guerrilla warfare, but direct foreign investment, especially in the oil industry, is still rising at a rapid rate. Although oil consequently is overtaking coffee as the main legal export, earnings from illicit drugs probably exceed those from any other export. Non-petroleum economic growth has been slowing, however, in part because the tight monetary policies adopted to offset the inflationary impact of high capital inflows and rising government spending have slowed local sales and investment. Business confidence also has been damaged by a political crisis stemming from allegations that senior government officials, including President SAMPER, solicited contributions from drug traffickers during the 1994 election campaign. The slowdown in the growth of labor-intensive industries such as manufacturing has caused a small rise in unemployment and interfered with President SAMPER'S plans to lower the country's poverty rate, which has remained at about 40% despite the expanding economy. Nevertheless, the booming oil sector, growing foreign investment, and the fundamental stability of the economy promise to keep growth positive for the foreseeable future, barring severe, unpredictable shocks from developments in the political or international arenas.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $192.5 billion (1995 est.)
GDP real growth rate: 5.3% (1995 est.)
GDP per capita: $5,300 (1995 est.)
GDP composition by sector: agriculture: 21.5% industry: 29% services: 49.5%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 19.5% (1995 est.)
Labor force: 12 million (1990) by occupation: services 46%, agriculture 30%, industry 24% (1990)
Unemployment rate: 9.5% (1995)
Budget:
revenues: $NA
expenditures: $24 billion including capital expenditures of $NA
(1996 est.)
Industries: textiles, food processing, oil, clothing and footwear,
beverages, chemicals, cement; gold, coal, emeralds
Industrial production growth rate: 3.5% (1995 est.)
Electricity: capacity: 10,220,000 kW production: 33 billion kWh consumption per capita: 890 kWh (1993)
Agriculture: coffee, cut flowers, bananas, rice, tobacco, corn, sugarcane, cocoa
