Colombia gained their independence from Spain on July 20, 1810.

However, Colombia wasnt able to right a constitution until July 5, 1991 because of the internal conflict that was going on in the country. The legal system that is in place in Colombia is something that they adopted from Spanish and French civil codes. The government system in Colombia is classified as a republic. They have three branches of government; executive, legislative, and judicial. All of these branches of government govern all of the 32 departments that make up Colombia. In Colombia, the departments are a lot like the states that the United States has. Colombia also has one capitol city, which is Bogota. This is where the whole government operates together. Colombias current president, Juan Santos, was elected in May of 2010 and was sworn into office in August of 2010. Him and his vice president, Angelino Garzon, have an election coming up in May of 2014. This is election they will be facing either reelection or the people will elect a new leader. Right now, the Colombian government is running smoothly with no major problems. The people seem to be happy with the way the government is going for right now.