Katia Uriona Gamarra, gender and parity expert for our PRO-Election Bolivia project, served as Chief of the Electoral Observation Mission of the Association of Electoral Magistrates of the Americas (AMEA) during the legislative elections and inter-party consultations held on March 8 in Colombia.
The AMEA Electoral Observation Mission was made up of electoral magistrates and former magistrates from eight countries in the region: Bolivia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador and Puerto Rico. The mission's objective was to monitor the electoral process, paying special attention to women's political rights, parity, conditions of equality in the electoral contest and gender-based political violence.
The legislative elections were called for Sunday, March 8, with the purpose of electing, by popular vote, the Colombian representatives who will make up the Senate of the Republic and the House of Representatives.
According to official data, the electoral census reached 41,287,084 citizens eligible to exercise their right to vote. For election day, 123,314 polling stations were set up throughout the country and 1,945 polling stations abroad to facilitate voting by Colombian citizens residing outside the country.
As for the candidates, a total of 1,071 candidates registered to run for seats in the Senate, of which 39.7% were women and 60.3% were men. Meanwhile, 2,010 candidates registered for the House of Representatives, with 42% women and 58% men.
In parallel with the legislative elections, three political forces called for inter-party consultations with the aim of defining, through a citizen vote, their candidates for the Presidency of the Republic, whose elections scheduled for May 31, 2026. In particular, three were held: the Consultation on Solutions, the Great Consultation for Colombia and the Front for Life.
The AMEA Observation Mission, under the leadership of Katia Uriona Gamarra, carried out monitoring activities in different polling stations and held meetings with electoral authorities, civil society organizations, and political actors to evaluate the election day from a gender and democratic strengthening perspective.
