After the establishment of the National Front, the presidency would be determined by regular elections every 4 years. The two parties would have parity in all other elective and appointive offices. The 1886 Colombian constitution required that the losing political party be given adequate and equitable participation in the government, but the new 1991 constitution does not have that requirement, although administrations have typically included members of opposition parties. The civilian judiciary is independent of government influence but the intimidation of judges, witnesses, and prosecutors is common. Currently Colombia is a presidential democracy in which the executive holds significant power over the legislature. The legislature is made up of a Senate and a Chamber of Representatives, and members of the Congress are elected every four years in the same year as the president. The president is elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms and is limited to a maximum of two terms. Under the president are the vice president and the Council of Ministers. At the provincial level, power is vested in department governors, municipal mayors, and local administrators. All of these elections are held one year and five months after a presidential election. The third branch of the government, the judicial branch, is headed by a Supreme Court which consists of 23 judges, divided into three chambers (Penal, Civil, and Agrarian). Colombia operates a system of civil law, which since 2005 has been applied through an adversarial system. In the past, elections have been an issue because the FARC has a presence in about 1/3 of Colombia, meaning they have much control and prevalence in the country and can shift the favor to whomever they want. In ...
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... terms and may be reappointed indefinitely, but congress may remove a judge considered to be unfit. Colombia is divided into judicial districts, each of which has a superior court of three or more judges. These courts supervise the lower courts, which are distributed on a departmental basis. Colombia also has a constitutional court which has the function of interpreting and monitoring the constitutional law and processes. They also oversee cases brought against fundamental rights violations including complaints against acts of the government. Under the superior courts there are regional, administrative, and even first instance courts. Colombia also has a military court in which military personnel and guerilla groups are tried for things like crimes against humanity, but most of the time these courts are ineffective and allow for human rights abuses to go unchecked.
“Family is the most important thing in the world.” ~ Princess Diana. The Dominican Republic is a diverse country in the Caribbean. It shares many of the same values and norms as the United States. In order to fully understand Dominican Republic families it is important to look at their structure, traditions, and values.
In the northeast the sierra slopes downward to a vast, flat tropical jungle, the selvas, extending to the Brazilian border and forming part of the Amazon Basin. The mountain attains a maximum width of about 965 km (about 600 mi) in the north and constitutes some 60 percent of the Peruvian land area; it is covered with thick tropical forests in the west and with dense tropical vegetation in the center and east.
Nicaragua The area of Nicaragua is 50,193 sq. ft. mi. The Nicaraguan highlands, with an elevation of about 2000 ft, cross Nicaragua from the northwest to the southeast. Several mountain ranges, the highest of which, the Cordillera Isabelia, reaches an elevation of more than 6890 ft, cut the highlands from east to west.
The Spaniard civilization can date all the way back to the Stone Age. Because of its agricultural wealth, Spain was acknowledged to have people occupy its land approximately 32,000 years ago. In A.D. 409, Spain was overrun by German invaders, but they were later forced out of the country and into Africa by a group called the Visigoths. The Visigoths, however, would soon lose control over Spain from a battle lost by the Byzantine Empire in 507. By 585, they would regain control over Spain and lived side by side under two separate laws between themselves and the Spaniards. In 711, North African Moors sailed across the straits, swept into Andalusia, and within a few years, pushed the Visigoths up the peninsula to the Cantabrian Mountains.
Where is Honduras located? What are some main landforms? What food do Hondurans eat? What language do Hondurans speak? How did Honduras become Honduras? These are all questions you might have, and in this paper all will be answered. You will learn more about the geography, society, people, their lifestyles, and the history of Honduras.
Mexico is bordered by the United States on the north, the Pacific Ocean on the west, the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea on the east, and Guatemala and Belize on the south. It is characterized by an extraordinary diversity in topography and climate and is crossed by two major mountain chains, the Sierra Madre Occidental and the Sierra Madre Oriental. The high central plateau between these two mountain ranges historically funneled most of the human population toward the center of this region. Mexico features volcanic peaks, snow-capped mountains, tropical rain forests, and internationally famous beaches. Mexico City is an enormous metropolitan area and dominates the rest of the country's culture, economy, and politics. Nearly one-fifth of the nation's population lives in the immediate vicinity of the capital. Mexico City is also a central hub for Mexico's transportation network—including railroads, highways, and airlines.
Costa Rica lies in the tropics and originated as a land of peaceful people and lush ecosystems. The Costa Rica of today is much different than a simple ideal tourist location. It is a country that ranks among the world’s highest in biodiversity. In addition, there is no separation between church and state. It is a country with a woman president and no army. The economy of Costa Rica is challenged on a daily basis and the education of its residents is recognizable. The purpose of this paper is to introduce readers to the many unique facets of the small Spanish speaking country of Costa Rica. My intent is to present information about the country’s geographical facts, biodiversity and ecotourism, religion, education, government and economical status.
In 1822, Brazil became a nation independent from Portugal. By far the largest and most populous country in South America, Brazil has overcome more than half a century of military government to pursue industrial and agricultural growth and development. With an abundance of natural resources and a large labor pool, Brazil became Latin America's leading economic power by the 1970’s.
Venezuela was one of the richest countries that emerged from the collapse of Gran Colombia in 1830 (the others being Colombia and Ecuador). For most of the first half of the 20th century, Venezuela was ruled by generally benevolent military strongmen, who promoted the oil industry and allowed for some social reforms. Democratically elected governments have held sway since 1959. Current concerns include: a polarized political environment, a politicized military, drug-related violence along the Colombian border, increasing internal drug consumption, overdependence on the petroleum industry with its price fluctuations, and irresponsible mining operations that are endangering the rain forest and indigenous peoples.
Who has the greater legitimacy to represent the people? The president or the legislatures. In comparing the Chilean 1970 Presidential Election to 1979 Spanish appointment of Adolfo Suirez as Prime Minister, Linz notes “Allende received a six-year mandate for controlling the government even with much less than a majority of the popular vote, while Suirez, with a plurality of roughly the same size, found it necessary to work with other parties to sustain a minority government”. Linz supports the fusion of the executive and legislative branches because it forces a sense of cooperation. He points out that “presidential systems may be more or less dependent on the cooperation of the legislature; the balance between executive and legislative power in such systems can thus vary considerably” Linz admits that “presidential elections do offer the indisputable advantage of allowing the people to choose their chief executive openly, directly, and for a predictable span rather than leaving that decision to the backstage maneuvering of the politicians.” but qualifies it by stating that it is only and beneficial if the majority of the people of spoken. In Scott Mainwaring and Matthew Shugart’s critical appraisal of “The Perils of Presidentialism” they offer counter arguments when they suggest that a bicameral parliament can just as easily have dual legitimacy issues as a President and legislative body. It should be recognized that Linz does not address the checks and balances that allows for a more regulated government ensuring that power is not concentrated in the hands of one group. Nor does he address that elections
The Spanish people are essentially a mixture of the indigenous peoples of the Iberian Peninsula with the successive peoples who conquered the peninsula and occupied it for extended periods. These added ethnologic elements include the Romans, a Mediterranean people, and the Suevi, Vandals, and Visigoths (see GOTHS), Teutonic peoples. Semitic elements are also present. Several ethnic groups in Spain have kept a separate identity, culturally and linguistically. These include the Basques (Euskal-dun), who number about 2.5 million and live chiefly around the Bay of Biscay; the Galicians, numbering about 2.5 million, who live in northwestern Spain; and the nomadic Spanish Gypsies (Gitanos; see GYPSIES).