Political Constitution of Colombia (1991)

Each House shall have the following powers:

To elect its executive committees.

To elect its General Secretary for periods of two years starting from July 20 and who shall have the same qualifications as those required to be a member of the respective House.

To request from the government the information that the House may need, except for what is provided in section 2 of the Article that follows.

To determine the holding of sessions reserved on a priority basis to [address] the oral questions formulated by the congressmen addressed to the ministries and the answers of the latter. Regulations shall determine the subject matter.

To fill the positions established by statute for the execution of its functions.

To strive to obtain from the government the cooperation of the organs of the public administration for the best execution of its responsibilities.

To organize the internal maintenance of order.

To summon and require the ministers, permanent secretaries and heads of administrative departments to attend the sessions. The summons must be made not less than five days prior to a session and be formulated in the form of a written questionnaire. In case the ministers, permanent secretaries or heads of administrative departments do not attend, without an excuse accepted by the respective House, the latter may table a motion of censure. The ministers, permanent secretaries and heads of administrative departments must be heard at the session for which they were summoned, without prejudice to the possibility that the debate is continued at subsequent sessions following a decision of the respective House. The discussion may not extend to other issues than those in the questionnaire and shall be placed at the top of the session’s agenda.

To table a motion of censure with respect to ministers, permanent secretaries and heads of administrative departments for matters related to their official functions, or for ignoring the requests or summons of the Congress of the Republic. Should it come to a motion of censure, it must be tabled by at least one tenth of the members who make up the respective House. The vote shall take place between the third and 10th day following the end of the discussion, with a public hearing of the respective official. Approval of the motion shall require the affirmative vote of one half of the members plus one of the House which has tabled it. Once the motion is approved, the official shall be relieved of his/her functions. If it is voted down, no new motion of censure may be proposed on the same matter unless it is supported by new facts. The resignation of the official against which the censure motion has been tabled does not prevent the latter from being approved in accordance with the provisions of this Article. Once a decision has been taken on the censure motion by one House it bars a decision by the other House on the same matter.