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The Colombian presidential line of succession is the order which the vice president and other members of the Colombian national Government assume the powers and duties of the Colombian presidency (or the office itself, in the instance of succession by the vice president) upon an elected president's death in office, resignation, removal from office upon impeachment conviction or incapacity.
The order of succession specifies that the position passes to the vice president. If the vice presidency is simultaneously vacant, or if the vice president is also incapacitated, the powers and duties of the presidency pass to the cabinet ministers, according to their respective order of precedence.[1][2]
The Constitution of Colombia establishes that the Vice President is the first person in the presidential line of succession. In the absence of both the president and the vice president, article 203[3] in the Constitution establishes that the presidential office will be assumed by a Cabinet member, in order of precedence that establishes the law. The assuming Minister must be a member of the same party or movement to which the original president belonged, who will exercise the presidency within thirty days following the presidential vacancy in which Congress elects a new vice president who will assume the presidency.[4] In the table, the absence of a number in the first column indicates that the holder is not eligible.[5][6]
Three vice presidents have succeeded to the presidency during the period, two due to the resignation and one of them due to the deposition of the president in office.
| Successor | Party | President | Reason | Date of succession | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miguel Antonio Caro | National | Rafael Núñez | Resignation[9] | 18 November 1894, 31 days into Núñez's presidency. | |
| José Manuel Marroquín | Conservative | Manuel Antonio Sanclemente | Coup d'état | 31 July 1900, 1 year, 11 months and 24 days into Sanclemente's presidency. | |
| Ramón González Valencia | Conservative | Rafael Reyes | Resignation | 4 August 1909, 4 years, 11 months and 28 days into Reyes's presidency. | |
Although four vice presidents have succeeded to the presidency after the death or resignation of the president, between 1905 and 1994, the office of vice president was abolished, later being established in 1994 with the 1991 constitution, during the 86 years of abolition of the vice presidency, it was the Minister of Government who headed the line of presidential succession.
| Successor | Party | President | Reason | Date of succession | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jorge Holguín | Conservative | Marco Fidel Suárez | Resignation | 11 November 1921, 3 years, 3 months and 4 days into Suárez's presidency. | |
| Gustavo Rojas Pinilla | Military rule | Laureano Gómez | Coup d'état | 13 June 1953, 3 years, 5 months and 12 days into Gómez's presidency. | |
Next in line
Since 1991 there have been two cases in which the vice presidency became vacant; During those terms, the next people in line to serve as acting president were:
Under the Constitution of 1991
| No. | Official (party) | Dates | Reason | President (party) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Horacio Serpa (L) Minister of the Interior |
September 10 – 16, 1996 |
Resignation of Vice president Humberto De la Calle | Samper (L) | ||
| 2 | Guillermo Zuluaga (U) Minister of Agriculture |
March 21 – 29, 2017 |
Resignation of Vice president German Vargas Lleras | Santos (U) | ||
Under the Constitution of 1886
| No. | Official (party) | Dates | Reason | President (party) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | José Domingo Ospina (C) Minister of Government |
8 February 1888 – 16 December 1889 |
Resignation of Vice president Eliseo Payán | Núñez (N) | ||
| Vicente Restrepo Maya (C) Minister of Government |
16 December 1889 – 7 August 1890 | |||||
| José María González (C) Minister of Government |
8 August 1890 – 10 November 1890 | |||||
| Guillermo Quintero Calderón (C) Minister of Government |
10 November 1890 – 3 January 1891 | |||||
- The Constitution establishes that the presidential office will be assumed by a minister in the order of precedence established by law. The sitting minister must be a member of the same party or movement as the original president.[8]
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