1. Social Studies The Governmental system (QUESTIONS) Diego Villamizar By: Andres Felipe Romero N. Laura Angelica Castillo 5-B

2. QUESTIONS 1. To your regard what is a Constitution?(Abstain from copying a definition, define it on your own) 2. How many Constitutions Colombia had prior to the 1886 Constitution? 3. When was Slavery abolished? 4. Explain the concept State of Siege? 5. What are the most important Constitutional Amendments done to the 1886 Constitution? 6. What were the main requirements to become President of Colombia? 7. What is a bureaucracy? 8. What are the main functions of Congress? 9. Who elects Congress? 10. What are the functions of the Supreme Court?

3. QUESTIONS 11. What is a Constitutional Amendment? 12. Explain the concept “Commander in Chief.” 13. What is the role of the Ministry of Justice in the control of the Judiciary? 14. What is a Plebiscite? 15. What were decree-laws? 16. What did the 1957 amendment to the Constitution change? 17. What was the National Front and what was its main objective? 18. Prior to the 1991 Constitution, could a President be reelected? 19. What was the goal of the 1968 amendment to the Constitution? 20. In what year was the popular election for Mayors established?

4. answer 1. A constitution is a set of rules for government. Each country has it’s own constitution to maintain stable the government. 2. Colombia has had ten constitutions by prior 1886. 3. The constitution of 1853 was already abolished slavery. 4. A state of siege is a situation in which a government or other authority puts restrictions on the movement of people into or out of a country, town, or building. 5. The most important constitutional amendments resulted from the Sitges Agreement and the subsequent San Carlos Agreement, drawn up by Liberal and Conservative leaders together at meetings in 1957. 6. The main requirement to become a Colombian president is the direct popular vote. 7.Bureaucracy is the combined organizational structure, procedures, protocols, and set of regulations in place to manage activity, usually in large organizations. 8.The main function of the congress is to revise the constitution (a procedure that takes two years). 9. All the members of congress are elected from the territorial departments and national territories on a proportional basis.

5. 10. The functions of the supreme court of Colombia are: 1. Acting as a court of appeal. 2. Judge President of the Republic or whoever replaces them and the judges of the Supreme Court, Council of State and the Constitutional Court, members of the Supreme Judicial Council and the Attorney General's Office, for any act offense imputed to them (art. 174 and 175 no. 2 and 3). 3. Investigate and prosecute members of Congress. 4. Judge, following indictment by the Prosecutor General's Office, the Cabinet ministers, the Attorney General's Office, the Ombudsman, the prosecutors before the Court, before the Council of State and the courts, to directors of administrative departments, the Comptroller General of the Republic, the ambassadors and heads of diplomatic or consular missions, governors, judges of courts and the generals and admirals of the security forces, punishable by the facts that against them. 5. Knowing all businesses contentious diplomatic agents accredited to the national government, as provided by international law. 6. Determine its own rules.

6. 11. A constitutional amendment is a change to the constitution of a nation or a state. In jurisdictions with "rigid" or "entrenched" constitutions, amendments require a special procedure different from that used for enacting ordinary laws. 12. As commander in chief of the armed forces and the national police, to maintain law and order, defend the nation, and deal with domestic disturbances. 13. The ministry of justice had risen in influence by the mid-1980s as a result of the increased importance in United States-Colombian relationship of the prosecution and extradition of narcotics traffickers. 14. A plebiscite is a popular vote on a proposal which includes the entire populace. 15. A decree is a rule of law issued by a head of state (such as the president of a republic), according to certain procedures (usually established in a constitution). It has the force of law. The particular term used for this concept may vary from country to country. 16. The constitutional changes, particularly the abolition of the two-thirds majority requirement in both houses of Congress for the passage of major legislation, also affected the powers of Congress and its relationship with the president.

7. 17. National Front was a period in the history of Colombia in which the two main political parties; Liberal Party and Conservative Party agreed to let the opposite party govern, intercalating for a period of four presidential terms, and it’s objectives are: First, it alternated the presidency between the two parties in regular elections held every four years . Second, it provided for parity in elective and appointive positions at all levels of government, including cabinet and Supreme Court positions not falling under the civil service, as well as the election of equal numbers of party members to local, departmental, and national assemblies. And third, it required that all legislation be passed by a two-thirds majority in Congress. 18. Amendments adopted in December 1968 reaffirm a president's ability to declare a state of emergency and allow the executive to intervene selectively in specific areas of the economy to prevent crises or facilitate development plans.

8. 19. The 1968 amendments additionally allowed for the "dismantling" of the National Front coalition arrangement by increasing executive powers in economic, social, and development matters. 20. The position of the Roman Catholic Church, stating that the "Roman, Catholic and Apostolic Religion is that of the nation" and as such is to be "protected" and "respected" by the public powers of the state. Nevertheless, Article 54 of the Constitution prohibits Catholic priests from holding public office in areas other than education or charity.