Political Constitution of Colombia (1991)

The powers of the Council of State are as follows:

To exercise the functions of supreme contentious administrative court in accordance with the rules stipulated by an Act.

To take cognizance of invalid decrees issued by the national government and held unconstitutional by the Constitutional Court.

To act as the supreme consultative body of the government in matters of administration, whose opinion must mandatorily be heard in all cases determined by the Constitution and the statutes.

In cases of the transit of foreign troops across Colombia’s national territory, the stationing or transit of foreign warships or aircraft in the waters or territory or airspace of the nation, the government must first seek the opinion of the Council of State.

To prepare and present proposals amending the Constitution and other bills.

To take cognizance of cases regarding the loss of the investiture of congressmen in accordance with the Constitution and statute.

To draft its own rules of procedure and exercise other functions determined by an Act.

To rule on petitions for the annulment of elections subject to the rules of competence established by statute.

It is a condition for the admissibility of electoral disputes directed against the act of popular election which are based on causes for annulment due to irregularities in the voting process and the counting of the votes before the administrative jurisdiction that they are submitted to the review of the competent administrative authority headed by the National Election Commission before the proclamation of the election results