Party discipline in Colombia in the second period of Juan Manuel Santos: a legislative measure.

Abstract

During the second government as president of Juan Manuel Santos in Colombia (2014-2018), he took as his campaign slogan the consolidation of the Peace Agreement with the FARC, the main guerrilla group in the country. Santos' campaign in 2013 marked the end of his relationship with Álvaro Uribe Vélez, his predecessor in office and former boss since Santos had been his defense minister. In the first term (2010 - 2014) Santos managed to consolidate a coalition of parties in the legislature that became known as the National Unity, a group that allowed him to carry out the most important projects of his government. For his part, Uribe Vélez, anointed as former president, withdrew from the National Unity Party or U Party (PU), declared Santos a traitor (Semana, 2014) and announced the founding of the Democratic Center (CD) party. In addition to founding the CD, Uribe surprised the country by informing that he would participate as head of a closed list to the Senate of the Republic, leaving aside his investiture as former president. After the elections in March 2014, the CD obtained more than two million votes, 39 seats in congress and the second vote by party, after the PU (La Silla Vacía, 2014). The CD became the main opposition party with a marked right-wing tendency. Santos and the National Unity had a challenge ahead: to approve the different projects of the so-called legislature for peace.