The Regional Elections in Colombia 2015: Analysis of the New Governors tnd Departmental Assemblies

Abstract

This paper studies the regional elections of Colombia of 2015 from a subnational perspective by focusing on the results of the elections for governors and deputies. Starting from the premise that domestic political and electoral dynamics differ from the electoral logic at departmental and municipal levels, this paper reviews issues such as fragmentation, nationalization and absenteeism from an analytical-descriptive approach.These elections meant the electoral debut for some political parties (e.g. Centro Democrático) and the figure of coalitions in the Colombian electoral system as well as the strategic move of the regional elites to face a situation linked to the advancement of the peace process in Havana and legislative and Presidential Elections of 2018.