vol. 15 núm. 24 (2008): enero - junio

This paper shows an analysis of the public order in Tolima State and its effects in the presidential elections. A comprehensive analysis of the consolidation of Uribe's project in Tolima and how this project has influenced the electoral behavior of Tolima's voters is presented, evidencing the huge presence of Uribe's supporters more than that of political parties.It examines the internal consultation process of the Alternative Democratic Pole (PDA). It analyzes the weak fabric of Colombian democracy. This paper analyzes the elections to the Senate, House of Representatives, Governor's office, State Assembly, Mayor's office, Municipal and Local Administrative Councils. Finally, the effects of parapolitics in Tolima state are reviewed.

This paper presents some reflections about the current political crisis by which Colombian voters are going through. This is an effect of the socalled Parapolitics which opens a new chapter of the political action inColombia. It also examines the impact of parapolitics taking into account the number of affected congress seats within each political party and the agreements for saving the political amendment bill advancing in the Colombian congress.Similarly, it examines the proposal of the announcement of a Constituent Assembly suggested by the Alternative Democratic Pole (PDA) and the answers of the political leadership of the parties and movements as well as the initiative of the presidential re-election. Finally, a follow up to the political amendment bill which has really influenced the political Constitution of 1991 is shown.

This paper analyzes the informal practices derived from the involvement of armed actors in the development and organization of Colombian political parties. This is a preliminary study that evidences the relationship between paramilitary groups and political leadership in Colombia. The research is mainly focused on the examination of how and when the involvement between these two organizations took place and how the connections were made between them. Paramilitary organizations created authentic, local paramilitary-influenced government, becoming part of the new regional elites. Violence and clientelism were the most commonly used strategies to expand their connections within the political leadership, the political parties, and the elections to the Senate and the House of Representatives.

This paper presents details of the elections in Quindio State after the political amendment bill 2003, and how this amendment bill has influenced on the electoral behavior of the Colombian political parties and political movements, during the 2006 and 2007 elections.This work thoroughly shows details of the electoral behavior in every single municipality. The composition of the state councils and assembly is presented and how mayor's offices and governor's office are established. Finally, the presidential elections are examined.

This paper attempts to make a reflection on the electoral results in Risaralda State and to review the political changes in the electoral map. An the outline of the current political map and the distribution of the Colombian Congress, state assembly, municipal and local administrative councils is also advanced.Furthermore, the electoral results from the presidential elections and the origin of political support are analyzed. An analysis of the parapolitics phenomena in Risaralda is reviewed.

This paper presents the new Colombian political map as a result of the congressional elections. The analysis is based on the electoral guarantees offered by the government as well as the efforts made by civil society to participate in the monitoring of the electoral process.The role of the Electoral Observation Mission (EOM), and the public defender are described. This mechanisms are undertaken in the search of assuring transparent elections, which provide full guarantees to citizens to participate in presidential elections. Finally, the municipal political map, examining the distribution of the mayor's offices, municipal councils and the matrix of the political parties and movements with their respective participation is shown.

This paper attempts to show a comprehensive examination of the relationships between politics and narcotraffic in Cauca Valley State and how this political phenomenon derived from figureheads. Also, a reflection about the way this situation had appeared since 1990 and the way it articulated within the electoral behavior of voters in Cauca Valley State is presented.This paper shows an analysis about figureheads and political paramilitarism and their close relationships with the Colombian Democratic Security Program and the political mutation of paramilitary groups. Finally, some relevant hypotheses about the political dynamics in Cauca Valley State, which are evidenced both in the current political crisis and the results of the last presidential elections are presented.

This paper shows a reflection on the electoral behavior of the voters of Cauca Valley state during the elections to the Colombian Congress. Theelectoral participation of the different political forces, based on the state zoning divided into four big urban areas, is also examined.The political representation of the state active political movements and parties is analyzed. A record of the electoral behavior in 2006 elections is shown. Finally, by means of conclusions, a reflection about how thepolitical amendment bill favored the major political movements and parties is stated, demonstrating the reason this bill was created for.

This article presents some reflections on the relations between territory and power within the framework of electoral behavior in Caldas State. The analysis examines the context in which 2006 presidential and congressional elections were held as well as the electoral behavior at the level of Governor's office, state assembly, major's office, municipal and local administrative councils in 2007.Issues such as violence, narcotraffic, and the incidence of parapolitics in Caldas State are also examined. Finally, some hypotheses about the electoral behavior and the incidence of political amendment bill 2003 onColombian elections are established.The structure of the document is as follows: Chapter I. Previous considerations, The problem of Territory and Power; Chapter II. The Context of the Electoral Process; Chapter III. The consolidation of Presidential Personalism. Chapter IV. Reshape of the Colombian Political landscape or Reaffirmation of Uribe's Political Project? Where and how do the Colombian political supporters vote?; Chapter V. Caldas' political cartography. Chapter VI. Manizales and the Reafirmation of Uribe's political project. Finally, in Chapter VII. Some last considerations are established on the impacts of the Political amendment bill and thebalance of Caldas' electoral crisis.