Abstract
Coalitions were the big winners in the 2019 local elections, with 498 of the mayoralties at stake won in coalition, compared to just 256 in 2015. Meanwhile, although they occupy a more limited space, significant citizen groups or "signature candidacies" won another 35 mayoralties, compared to the 13 they won four years ago. While still few in number, they cover departmental capitals such as Medellín, Cartagena and Bucaramanga, Cartagena and Bucaramanga. The sum of the mayoralties won by the parties alone stood at 567, an already slim majority that could well become a minority in the future if the trend continues.
This phenomenon is often explained by the well-documented unpopularity of political parties, which would encourage politicians to run outside them and voters to vote for perceived independents. However, if the explanation may seem sensible for signature candidacies, it is not so clearly applicable to coalitions. Moreover, it could be misleading, since this figure, far from implying the disappearance of parties from elections, translates in a way into the multiplication of independent candidates.
in a way, it results in the multiplication of their presence.
It is therefore necessary to approach the study of these phenomena in the Colombian case, taking local elections as a starting point. To this end, we are guided by the questions of what explains the rise of coalition candidacies and significant citizen groups in local elections, and what does this teach us about the Colombian party system?
and what does this teach us about the Colombian party system? In this respect, a simple rational choice approach provides an easy first answer: these figures are electorally profitable in a context of party system informality.
However, these explanations have their limits, as they do not in themselves explain the persistence of the parties, which remain in more than half of the municipalities.
Nor are they sufficient to understand the dynamics of the partnership, as not all coalitions seem equally feasible.
coalitions do not seem equally feasible and/or successful.
This phenomenon is often explained by the well-documented unpopularity of political parties, which would encourage politicians to run outside them and voters to vote for perceived independents. However, if the explanation may seem sensible for signature candidacies, it is not so clearly applicable to coalitions. Moreover, it could be misleading, since this figure, far from implying the disappearance of parties from elections, translates in a way into the multiplication of independent candidates.
in a way, it results in the multiplication of their presence.
It is therefore necessary to approach the study of these phenomena in the Colombian case, taking local elections as a starting point. To this end, we are guided by the questions of what explains the rise of coalition candidacies and significant citizen groups in local elections, and what does this teach us about the Colombian party system?
and what does this teach us about the Colombian party system? In this respect, a simple rational choice approach provides an easy first answer: these figures are electorally profitable in a context of party system informality.
However, these explanations have their limits, as they do not in themselves explain the persistence of the parties, which remain in more than half of the municipalities.
Nor are they sufficient to understand the dynamics of the partnership, as not all coalitions seem equally feasible.
coalitions do not seem equally feasible and/or successful.
| Original language | Spanish (Colombia) |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Elecciones subnacionales 2019 |
| Subtitle of host publication | Una redefinición de los partidos y de sus campañas electorales |
| Editors | Fredy Barrero, Eugénie Richard |
| Place of Publication | Bogotá |
| Publisher | Fundación Konrad Adenauer |
| Chapter | I |
| Pages | 87-117 |
| ISBN (Print) | 978-958-52504-4-4 |
| State | Published - 2020 |