Previous 23 / 28 Next

Radicado: 11001-03-28-000-2019-00090-00 (Acum.) Actor: GONZALO RAMOS ROJAS y otros 2. Quienes tengan doble nacionalidad, exceptuando los colombianos por nacimiento. 3. Quien dentro de los doce (12) meses anteriores a la fecha de la elección haya ejercido como empleado público, jurisdicción o autoridad política, civil, administrativa o militar, en el respectivo departamento, o quien como empleado público del orden nacional, departamental o municipal, haya intervenido como ordenador de gasto en la ejecución de recursos de inversión o celebración de contratos, que deban ejecutarse o cumplirse en el respectivo departamento. 4. Quien dentro del año anterior a la elección haya intervenido en la gestión de negocios ante entidades públicas del nivel departamental o en la celebración de contratos con entidades públicas de cualquier nivel en interés propio o de terceros, siempre que los contratos deban ejecutarse o cumplirse en el respectivo departamento. Así mismo, quien dentro del año anterior haya sido representante legal de entidades que administren tributos, tasas o contribuciones, o de las entidades que presten servicios públicos domiciliarios o de seguridad social de salud en el régimen subsidiado en el respectivo departamento. 5. Quien tenga vínculo por matrimonio, o unión permanente, o de parentesco en segundo grado de consanguinidad, primero de afinidad o único civil, con funcionarios que dentro de los doce (12) meses anteriores a la elección hayan ejercido autoridad civil, política, administrativa o militar en el respectivo departamento; o con quienes dentro del mismo lapso hayan sido representantes legales de entidades que administren tributos, tasas o contribuciones, o de las entidades que presten servicios públicos domiciliarios o de seguridad social de salud en el régimen subsidiado en el respectivo departamento. 6. Quien haya desempeñado el cargo de contralor departamental o procurador delegado en el respectivo departamento durante un período de doce (12) meses antes de la elección de gobernador. 7. Quien haya desempeñado los cargos a que se refiere el artículo 19720 de la Constitución Nacional”. Realizando un parangón entre la causal alegada por el demandante, contenida en el artículo 13 de la Resolución No. 024 de 2017 del Partido Político Centro Democrático 20 ARTÍCULO 197 <Artículo modificado por el artículo 9 del Acto Legislativo 2 de 2015> No podrá ser elegido Presidente de la República el ciudadano que a cualquier título hubiere ejercido la Presidencia. Esta prohibición no cobija al Vicepresidente cuando la ha ejercido por menos de tres meses, en forma continua o discontinua, durante el cuatrienio. La prohibición de la reelección solo podrá ser reformada o derogada mediante referendo de iniciativa popular o asamblea constituyente. No podrá ser elegido Presidente de la República o Vicepresidente quien hubiere incurrido en alguna de las causales de inhabilidad consagradas en los numerales 1, 4 y 7 del artículo 179, ni el ciudadano que un año antes de la elección haya tenido la investidura de Vicepresidente o ejercido cualquiera de los siguientes cargos: <Aparte tachado INEXEQUIBLE> Ministro, Director de Departamento Administrativo, Magistrado de la Corte Suprema de Justicia, de la Corte Constitucional, del Consejo de Estado, Comisión Nacional de Disciplina Judicial, Miembro de la Comisión de Aforados o del Consejo Nacional Electoral, Procurador General de la Nación, Defensor del Pueblo, Contralor General de la República, Fiscal General de la Nación, Registrador Nacional del Estado Civil, Comandantes de las Fuerzas Militares, Auditor General de la República, Director General de la Policía, Gobernador de departamento o Alcalde. Calle 12 No. 7-65 – Tel: (57-1) 350-6700 – Bogotá D.C. – Colombia www.consejodeestado.gov.co 23

Select target paragraph3

● ● ●

Ramos Rojas v. Sanabria Chacón

Judgment

Question Presented: Whether a political party’s internal rules on candidacy criteria relating to nepotism may nullify an election of one of its registered candidates if he violated the party rules but otherwise met the eligibility criteria set up in the Constitution or statutes.

Alleged Acts: The plaintiff alleges that the defendant violated intra-party laws after marrying the sister of the outgoing governor of the province where he was running for (and eventually elected) governor. The plaintiff also alleges that the defendant’s party, the Democratic Center Political Party, passed Resolution No. 024 of 2017—which contained rules against conflicts of interest—but, upon a request by Gonzalo Ramos Rojas and others to revoke the defendant’s candidacy in line with this resolution, the party improperly passed another resolution denying the request.

Procedural history: The plaintiff requested that the National Electoral Council (CNE) revoke the defendant’s registration, but the CNE denied the request. After the announcement of the election, the plaintiff filed a complaint with the Council of State to cancel the defendant’s election due to his breach of the anti-nepotism laws and the party rules on conflict of interest.

Summary: The defendant, Salomón Andrés Sanabria Chacón, won election as governor of Casanare. At the time, he was married to Cielo Barrera Rodríguez, who is the sister of Josué Alirio Barrera Rodríguez. Barrera Rodríguez was Governor of Casanare during the previous three-year term. Plaintiff argued that Resolution No. 024 of 2017 of the Statutes of the Democratic Center Political Party, to which the defendant belongs, prohibit the participation in the election of individuals who are a spouse or permanent partner or a person up to the “fourth degree of consanguinity, second degree of affinity or first civil” with a person who is occupying the elected office they are seeking. Plaintiff also cited Article 126 of the Constitution, which aims to avoid nepotism and promote equality of candidates in an election (“Los servidores públicos no podrán en ejercicio de sus funciones, nombrar, postular, ni contratar con personas con las cuales tengan parentesco hasta el cuarto grado de consanguinidad, segundo de afinidad, primero civil, o con quien estén ligados por matrimonio o unión permanente.”) (“Public servants may not, in the exercise of their functions, appoint, apply, or contract with persons with whom they are related up to the fourth degree of consanguinity, second degree of affinity, first civil, or with whom they are linked by marriage or permanent union.”) and Article 23 of the American Convention on Human Rights to suggest that the election of the defendant would violate the political rights of citizens to participate in “authentic” elections and freely express the “will of the electors.” Defendant argued that the resolution passed by his party is not valid because it “‘enshrin[es] provisions contrary to the Constitution and the laws of the Republic.’” Defendant added that the resolution cannot be considered by a judge because the resolution “does not have the character of an administrative act.” Therefore, the law that should be used to determine the validity of the defendant’s election is Article 30 of Law 617 of 2000, which prohibits only those candidates who have familial bonds by affinity to the second degree from running for governor. The Ministerio Público also requested that the Council of State deny the plaintiff’s claims, citing the same law as the basis for candidate disqualifications. In addition, it added that Article 29(3) of Law 1475 of 2011 stipulates that “no regime of disabilities and incompatibilities for popularly elected public servants shall be superior to that established for congressmen in the Constitution.” The Council of State found that the defendant did not violate the law, and although the defendant may have contravened the party resolution, the party resolution does not have legal or constitutional force. Therefore, the plaintiff does not have cause to nullify the defendant’s election as Governor of Casanare. While the resolution passed by the defendant’s party prohibits familial bonds by affinity up to the fourth degree, Colombian law only prohibits familial bonds by affinity up to the first degree. Since the defendant Sanabria Chacón was married to the sister of former Governor Josué Alirio Barrera Rodríguez, there was only second degree of affinity between the defendant and the former governor.

Conclusion: The Council of State denied the plaintiff’s claims, and the election of defendant Sanabria Chacón remained intact.

Legal Issue(s)

Candidate Registration

Applicable Law(s): Article 126 of the Constitution; Article 23 of the American Convention on Human Rights; Article 30, Paragraph 5 of Law 617 of 2000; Article 13 of Resolution No. 024 of 2017 of the Democratic Center Political Party; Article 47 of the Civil Code

Region: Americas

Country: Colombia

Language of Decision

Spanish

Court: Constitutional Court

Election Type: General

Date of decision: Dec 3, 2020

Geolocation

Latitude: 4.623650859989211

Longitude: -74.09697385354207

: Geolocation

Primary Documents

Ramos Rojas.pdf
Spanish
Download View

Election Judgments - IFES

Select target paragraph3

Ramos Rojas v. Sanabria Chacón

Primary Documents

Notifications