Colombia: Detailed information on 1998 election results, the areas controlled by the Conservative Party, which political party controls the city of Pereira and the department of Risaralda, the nature of the relationship between the Conservative and the Liberal parties
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 September 1998 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | COL30127.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Colombia: Detailed information on 1998 election results, the areas controlled by the Conservative Party, which political party controls the city of Pereira and the department of Risaralda, the nature of the relationship between the Conservative and the Liberal parties, 1 September 1998, COL30127.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6abfa78.html [accessed 29 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
The following information was obtained by the Research Directorate during a 25 September 1998 telephone interview with the director of the electoral department of the national registry (Registraduría Nacional), the national body responsible, among other tasks, for collecting electoral data and results, in Santa Fé de Bogotá.
The director stated that the Conservative Party (PSC) of Andrès Pastrana was leading a coalition which also included the Movimiento Fuerza Democrática and the Movimiento 98 of Prosecutor general Alfonso Valdivieso. This coalition won in the following states during the 1998 presidential elections held in June and July 1998: Antioquia, Boyacá, Caldas, Cundinamarca, Huila, Meta, Nariño, Norte de Santander, Putumayo, Quindío, Risaralda, Santa Fé de Bogotá and Valle del Cauca.
The PSC won in the department of Risaralda with 290,274 votes while the Liberal Party only gathered 97,699 votes. It also won in the city of Pereira with 102,560 votes for the PSC presidential candidate Andrès Pastrana compared to 54,130 for the Liberal Party candidate Horacio Serpa.
The director stated that although the two main political parties do not share opinions on certain issues, they do not confront each other with violence as in the past during the period known as La Violencia (The Violence), from 1948 to approximately 1955. At that time there was an open war between the Conservative and Liberal parties that left some 300,000 people dead. "Today, the differences between the two parties are settled in the debates that take place at the National Congress," stated the director.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.
Reference
Registraduría Nacional, Santa Fé de Bogotá, 25 September 1998. Telephone interview with the director of the electoral department.
Additional Sources Consulted
Latinamerica Press [Lima].1998.
Latin American Weekly Report [London].1998.
Political Violence in Colombia: Myth and Reality. 1994. Amnesty International.
New York, NY: Amnesty International.
Electronic Sources: IRB Databases, Global News Bank, Lexis/Nexis, Internet, REFWORLD, World News Connection (WNC).
On-line search.
