In 2016, the President of Colombia was awarded a worldwide award. This was due to his activities to end the Civil War in the state, which lasted more than fifty years. He was declared the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in the fall.
Country Overview
The state is located in South America, in its northwestern part. It is known that the first people lived in the country in the fifteenth century BC. These were tribes of hunter-gatherers.
At the beginning of our era, Indians lived here. From the sixteenth century began the colonization of the mainland by the Spaniards. The colonial period lasted until 1818, when Simon Bolivar proclaimed the independence of Greater Colombia.
A state called New Granada was formed. It lasted until 1886, when Colombian President Rafael Moledo signed the constitution. The document secured centralized management, and the country was renamed the Republic of Colombia.
Modern state
Today's country is called the Republic of Colombia. It is often referred to as the "Gateway to South America" because its shores are washed by the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. The capital is the city of Bogota. It is home to over eleven million people, including the president of Colombia.
Since 1964, a civil war has been going on in the country. Many military groups were created that waged war with the official authorities for their ideas. Today, part of the armed formations ceased to exist, but there are those who are at war among themselves.
Political system
The head of state, like government, is the president of Colombia. He is elected for four years with a possible re-election for a second term.
The government consists of a bicameral parliament (Congress):
- Senate - it consists of 102 senators, elected for four years.
- The House of Representatives - includes 166 deputies, the population elects them for four years.
Presidents of the Republic
For its existence, the state was ruled by many leaders. The presidents of Colombia (the list consists of more than fifty representatives) often ruled several terms, but not in a row, but after a while.
The list of presidents who headed the state more than once:
- Rafael Nunez Moledo.
- Miguel Antonio
- Rafael Reyes Prieto.
- Alfonso Lopez Pumarejo.
- Gustavo Rojas Pinilla.
- Alberto Camargo.
- Guillermo Leon Valencia.
- Misael Pastrana Borrero.
- Alfonso Lopez Michelsen.
- Julio Cesar Ayala.
- Ernesto Samper Pisano.
- Juan Manuel Santos.
Who is the first president of Colombia? If we count from the beginning of the proclamation of the republic, then Rafael Nunez Moledo served as president. This is a conservative politician, journalist, lawyer, writer. He is known for writing words for the Colombian anthem.
Nunez was born on September 25, 1825 in Colombia. He served as district judge in Panama, in 1848 founded his own newspaper and engaged in political activities. He held various posts and posts, was Minister of Finance, diplomat, consul in Liverpool.
Nunez participated in the election struggle in 1878, but did not win. He took over as president in 1880. It was under him that coffee became the country's main export product, replacing tobacco, which has lost its popularity in Europe due to poor quality.
The second time, Moledo became president in 1884. It was he who wrote many articles that were related to constitutional reform. After he was re-elected twice more: in 1887 and 1892. Nunez died on September 18, 1894.
Today’s president of state
Juan Manuel Santos was born on 08/10/1951 in Bogota. His family has been in politics for more than one generation. So the grandfather's brother was at the head of Colombia in the first half of the twentieth century. He, Eduard Santos, founded and became the editor of the famous newspaper. Cousin served as vice president under Alvar Urib.
Juan Manuel Santos studied at the University of Kansas and in 1973 became a bachelor of economics. Two years later, he was awarded a master's degree at the London School of Economics. In 1981, he graduated from the Masters School at Kennedy Government School, which worked at Harvard University.
Santos has been married twice in his life. His first companion was the director and television host Sylvia Amaya Londiono. They lived together from 1987 to 1989. The second choice was the industrial designer Maria Rodriguez Mouner. In marriage, they had two sons (Martin and Esteban) and a daughter, Maria Antonia.
Political career:
- Minister of Foreign Trade
- Minister of Finance;
- Minister of Defense
Since 2010, Santos began his struggle for the presidency, becoming a presidential candidate. In the first round, Antanas Mokkusa became his main rival. Santos lacked four percent of the vote to win - he received 46.5%. In the second round, 69.06% of voters voted for the current president.
In 2014, he was re-elected for a second presidential term. He will be at the head of state until 2018.
In 2016, the president managed to end the Civil War, which lasted from 1991. He signed a peace agreement with the main guerrilla group. But many people find this world very shaky. No one knows how long it will last.
The President was awarded the prize in a greater degree in advance. Many believe that he will do everything possible to maintain peace in the country.