Political Constitution of Colombia (1991)

The political parties and movements with legal personality which declare themselves to be in opposition to the government may freely formulate their critical stance towards the latter and plan and develop alternative policies. For these purposes, they enjoy the following rights: access to official information and documentation, with the constitutional and legal restrictions; the use of the means of social communication of the State or of those that use the electromagnetic spectrum, in accordance with the representation obtained in the immediately preceding Congressional elections; and the right to reply in the same media.

Minority parties and movements with legal personality shall have the right to participate in the executive committees of the collegiate bodies, in accordance with their representation in them.

A statutory law shall regulate the matter in its entirety.

The candidate who follows the number of votes of the elected President and Vice President of the Republic, Governor of a Department, District Mayor, or Municipal Mayor will have the personal right to occupy a seat in the Senate, the House of Representatives, the Departmental Assembly, the District and Municipal Council, respectively, during the period of the corresponding corporation .

The seats assigned in the Senate of the Republic and in the House of Representatives will be added to those foreseen in the Articles 171 and 176. The other seats will not increase the number of members of such institutions.

In the case of rejection of a seat in the public corporations of the territorial entities, the seat will be assigned according to the general rule of seat assignment foreseen in the Article 263.

The designation of seats mentioned in this Article will not apply to elections conducted in the year 2015.