|
|
|
Map of South America |
Email this citationCIAO DATE: 04/04
La Atomización Partidista en Colombia: el Fenómeno de las Micro-empresas Electorales
Eduardo Pizarro Leongomez
January 2002
Abstract
The Colombian Liberal-Conservative bipartyism appeared up until just a decade ago not only as one of the oldest but also as one of the most institutionalized party systems in Latin America. Today, even though a complete party collapse similar to those ocurred in Peru and Venezuela did not take place, the erosion of both parties has followed a path with few historical precedents: an extreme "personalist factionalism" (Giovanni Sartori) or, to use a more coloquial term that has become popular in Colombia, the implosion of parties in tens and tens of electoral micro-businesses.
This paper seeks, first, to map this transtit of both traditional parties from the foundational organization of party fractions—like in Uruguay—towards the more deeply fragmented model of electoral micro-businesses. Second, it tries to disentangle the working logic of these electoral micro-businesses (who takes part in them, who supports them and why, etc.) and finally, it analizes the impact of this atomized partisan model on congressional and government activity.
