Traditionally in Colombia there have been two political parties, the conservative and liberal; however, lately some other political groups have got the presidential and some other important leadership positions, so nowadays, it is common to find at least 6 different political parties.
One important and different aspect is that any person could run for the presidential position- if this person gets more than a million signatures to support his campaign. That is why, in the past election there were eight candidates, many of whom were not even recognized as public figures.

In Colombia, opposition to the government is acceptable; in fact, groups that oppose the government get some special security conditions and the same treatment as ones that support it.
It’s different from other countries such as Ecuador, Venezuela, Bolivia or Brazil, which have developed a system based on a kind of socialism; Colombia has a democratic system in which there are groups that control presidential decisions, and in which citizens still keep their right to oppose and argue against the government.
One of the most famous former presidents of Colombia is Alvaro Uribe Velez. He is acclaimed for so many people, but he is also blamed for using the military power to get his objectives; in general 70% of the people in Colombia consider Alvaro Uribe to be the best president Colombia has ever had, he has been recognized as a great leader and nowadays his political party rules the nation.