Chamber of Representatives of Colombia

House of Representatives Cámara de Representantes
Type
Type	Lower house of the Congress of Colombia
Leadership
President of the House	Alfredo Rafael Deluque, PSUN Since 20 July 2015 (2015-07-20)
First Vice President	Pedrito Pereira, C Since 20 July 2015 (2015-07-20)
Second Vice President	Pierre García, CD Since 20 July 2015 (2015-07-20)
Structure
Seats	166
Political groups	Government (97)      L (39)      PSUN (37)      CR (16)      OC (5) Opposition (22)      CD (19)      PDA (3) Independent (46)      C (27)      V (6)      MIRA, AICO, ASI (13)
Elections
Voting system	Direct election
Last election	9 March 2014
Meeting place
Capitolio Nacional, Bogotá
Website
http://www.camara.gov.co/portal2011/inicio/english

Colombia
This article is part of a series on the politics and government of Colombia
Constitution
Legislature Congress Senate Chamber of Representatives
Executive President Vice President Council of Ministers
Elections National Electoral Council Recent elections: Presidential: 2010, 2014 Legislative: 2010, 2014
Administrative divisions Departments Municipalities
Major political parties Liberal Party Conservative Party National Unity Radical Change Party Alternative Democratic Pole Green Party MIRA
Related topics Foreign relations Human rights Military Armed conflict (since 1964)
Other countries Atlas Politics portal

The House of Representatives (Spanish: Cámara de Representantes) is the lower house of the Congress of Colombia.

The House of Representatives has 166 elected members for four-year terms.

How the House is elected

According to the Colombian Constitution, every department is an electoral administrative division. There are also four special circumscriptions: One for Indian communities, one for Afro-Colombian communities (negritudes), one for other minorities and one for Colombian citizens abroad, which have become lately a much-courted political group.

There will be two representatives for each territorial circumscription, and every territorial circumscription will elect an additional member for every 250,000 residents or fraction greater than 125,000 residents in excess of the first 250,000 residents. The Afro-Colombian circunscription elects two representatives, and the Indian, other minority and expatriate circumscriptions elect one each.

Requirements

To be a representative, a person must be a Colombian citizen (regardless of place of birth) who has attained the age of 25 years at the moment of election.

Exclusive powers of the House

1. Elect the Ombudsman of Colombia.
2. Examine the general account budget and treasury budget submitted by the Comptroller General of Colombia
3. Indict for the impeachment of the following officeholders: President, Constitutional Court justices, Supreme Court justices, Superior Council of the Judiciary members, Council of State justices and the Attorney General.
4. Listen to the complaints stated by the Attorney General or private citizens against the aforementioned officers, and recommend impeachment if they're worthwhile.
5. Request the aid of other authorities to pursue the investigations.

Latest election

Colombian parliamentary election, 2014

Previous election

Colombian parliamentary election, 2010

See also

• Constitutional history of Colombia
• List of Presidents of the Chamber of Representatives of Colombia

External links

• Official website