1974 Colombian general election

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General elections were held in Colombia on 21 April 1974 to elect the President, Senate and Chamber of Representatives.[1] They were the first elections after the end of the National Front agreement, which had restricted electoral participation to the Conservative Party and the Liberal Party, with each party allocated 50% of the seats in both houses,[2] whilst the presidency alternated between the two parties.

Although the elections saw both parties field presidential candidates for the first time in over thirty years, voter turnout was only 45%. In the presidential elections, all three main candidates were the son or daughter of previous presidents. Alfonso López Michelsen of the Liberal Party emerged as the winner with 56% of the vote.[3] The Liberal Party also won a majority of seats in both houses of Congress.

  1. ^ Dieter Nohlen (2005) Elections in the Americas: A data handbook, Volume II, p305 ISBN 978-0-19-928358-3
  2. ^ Nohlen, p323
  3. ^ Nohlen, p353