ESSAY ON THE THREE BRANCHES OF PUBLIC POWER IN COLOMBIA

In theory, the three branches of government serve to maintain the system of checks and balances, to
prevent one branch from having more power or too much power than the others. This is defending
democracy and avoiding dictatorships and authoritarian government practices, to keep the country
free, capitalist and democratically fair for the people. The three branches that make up the
government of the Republic of Colombia are the Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches, as
seen in the President, the Supreme Court and the Congress. To understand why things are done this
way, it is important to know a little about each branch, what it does and why it is important. This also
ensures the Colombian citizen who lives in a country, in theory, for the entire population that selects
the people to represent, their needs and their challenges.

The President of the Republic of Colombia is not the only one who directs the government program.
For its time, for at least four years, the government is essentially headed by the Executive Branch of
the government of the Republic of Colombia. Although the President is the commander and chief of
the Colombian army, the President does not have unlimited power to govern the country. The
president is intentionally limited in power to avoid a regime, where one leader has complete control
over each government entity. The Vice President supports the president on various matters as part of
the Executive Branch and becomes a liaison to the Senate. Cabinet members are also part of the
Executive Branch and assist the President in decision-making and other responsibilities. The
President can veto some bills not passed by Congress, which means that the President has certain
powers not shared by members of the other branches.

For its part, the Legislative Branch, essentially the Congress of the Republic of Colombia, collectively
chooses the laws of the country, which becomes part of the Constitution, which is always amended to
reflect current society, its people and their needs. , challenges and limitations. The Senate and the
House of Representatives make up the Legislative Branch of the Colombian government. The
Congress of the Republic of Colombia is the bicameral legislature of the Republic of Colombia made
up of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress has its headquarters in the
National Capitol located in the Plaza de Bolívar in the city of Bogotá, capital of the Republic.
Congress is a collegiate body made up of 102 senators and 166 representatives, in which each one,
within their respective commissions, has equal power and responsibility. Both senators and
representatives are elected through a direct election that takes place every 4 years, with the
possibility of being re-elected. The senators vote corresponds to a national constituency, along with
two special indigenous constituency seats. For its part, the voting of the representatives corresponds
to a departmental constituency, except in Bogotá where there is a district constituency and additional
seats for indigenous, Afro-Colombian communities, Colombian communities abroad and political
minorities.

The Judicial Branch is made up of the judicial system with the Supreme Court as the highest
authority. The function of the judicial branch is to attempt to provide fairness for criminal and civil
cases by interpreting the constitution and the laws passed by Congress. It is made up of an odd
number of magistrates as determined by law, at present there are twenty-three magistrates, for
individual periods of eight (8) years, elected by the same corporation from lists of more than five
candidates, sent by the Superior Council of the Judiciary. This election system has traditionally been
called the co-optation system. When one decides to retire a new one is appointed by the president
and approved for service by the Senate. Judges are appointed by the president and approved by the
Senate. Because the judicial branch interprets laws and the constitution, it has the power to declare a
law unconstitutional. In this way, the judicial power plays a role in the creation of the laws of the
Republic of Colombia.

In conclusion, all three branches of the Colombian government work - and this system has worked for
more than 200 years. The system of checks and balances is by no means perfect, as seen in the way
the President vetoes some bills that Congress is unwilling to pass. This, of course, creates mistrust
between the various branches, in turn preventing effective cooperation between government
departments. However, as time goes on, this system is expected to evolve and one day become the
common way that governments around the world will operate and maintain the citizens who make up
a happy, successful and self-sufficient society. preservative.

SOURCES

 https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corte_Suprema_de_Justicia_de_Colombia
 https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congreso_de_la_Rep%C3%BAblica_de_Colombia
 www.corteconstitucional.gov.co/lacorte/magistrados.php
