Horacio Serpa
Encyclopedia
Horacio Serpa Uribe is a Colombia
n politician
and lawyer
. Horacio Serpa has run as the Colombian Liberal Party
candidate for President of Colombia
on three occasions; in 1998, 2002, and 2006. He previously served as congressman
for Santander
as Senator
, Inspector General of Colombia
, president of the National Constituent Assembly
, Minister of the Interior, and as Ambassador of Colombia to the Organization of American States
. He was also involved in the 8000 process scandal in which money from the Cali Cartel
entered the presidential campaign of Liberal
candidate Ernesto Samper
. In 2007 Serpa ran for the governorship of Santander Department
and was elected on October, 28 in the Colombian regional election
s.
, Serpa went back to his native Santander Department and became a judge for the town of Tona
. He later became a Penal Judge in the town of San Vicente de Chucurí
and then Civil Municipal Judge for the town of Barrancabermeja
. In Barrancabermeja Serpa also served as Criminal Investigator, Circuit Penal Judge and Superior Judge. During this time Serpa became interested in politics and began participating actively in the Liberal Revolutionary Movement (MRL) as member of the youths, this movement had been founded by Alfonso López Michelsen
.
Serpa concentrated his political efforts in the Magdalena medio (Middle Magdalena Region), a convulsioned region in which the ELN guerrilla
was born. In 1970 Serpa was appointed Mayor of Barrancabermeja by Alfonso Gómez Gómez and later became Secretary of Education for the Santander Department.
In the legislative branch Serpa served as councilman for the town of Barrancabermeja and later as National Chamber of Representatives
representing Santander Department as replacement for congressman Rogelio Ayala in 1974. Serpa was reelected for the periods of 1978 and 1982 under a movement founded by him, the Authentic Liberal Leftist Front (Frente de Izquierda Liberal Auténtico, FILA) aligned with the official Liberal party.
In the Chamber of Representatives Serpa became President of the Accusations Commission and President of the Congress of the Republic Plan Commission. In 1985 Serpa ran for the senate
and was elected. In 1998 Serpa was appointed Inspector General of Colombia
. He also served as Minister of Government, Minister of Interior, Presidential Peace Advisor and Ministry Delegate in Presidential Functions during the Liberal presidencies of Virgilio Barco (1986–1990) and Ernesto Samper
(1994–1998).
Serpa was later elected for the National Constituent Assembly
in 1991 in which he shared a collegiate presidency with Antonio Navarro Wolff
(former member of the M-19 guerrilla
) and Álvaro Gómez Hurtado
(representative of the Conservative Party
) to create the Colombian Constitution of 1991
.
After the creation of the new constitution Serpa continued as President of Liberal Directorate in the Santander Department and President of the Central Politics Commission of the Liberal Party. He was then prospect for presidential candidate in 1998, but was shaded by Ernesto Samper. Serpa was then elected National Director of the Liberal party for the period 1998 - 1999. During the government of Álvaro Uribe
, Serpa was appointed ambassador of Colombia to the Organization of American States (OAS) with he also disputed the presidential bids of 2002 and 2006.
's second presidential campaign and became good friends. For the presidential campaign of 1990 Samper became a candidate and Serpa collaborated with his efforts in the Santander Department, his region of influence, while being the leader of his movement: the FILA. But Samper failed the elections.
In the 1994 elections Serpa became Debate Chief of Samper's presidential campaign and this time Samper was elected president of Colombia. Pm June 20, 1994 the opposing presidential candidate Andrés Pastrana then made public the "Narcocassettes" a series of telephone recordings in which members of the Cali drug cartel
mainly journalist Alberto Giraldo talked with Gilberto
and Miguel Rodríguez Orejuela
regarding the financing of the Samper campaign for the presidency.
The Supreme Court of Colombia
then opened an investigation which was dubbed the "Proceso 8000
". Serpa defended Samper against these allegations of drug money entering the campaign in which he was also involved. The relations with the United States government a major contributor to the drug effort in Colombia, deteriorated. Samper and most of his collaborators were absolved from any wrong doing with the exception of Fernando Botero
and Santiago Medina. But the scandal involved a dozen representatives of the Colombian congress and numerous politicians and businessman with the Cali cartel. After this incident Serpa's credibility maintained a low margin within Colombians for supporting Samper, as well as responding to criticism with aggravating words.
, Serpa was invited to be a negotiator between the ELN guerrilla
and was part of numerous peace commissions that never reached successful results.
During the government of Virgilio Barco, Serpa was appointed Minister of Government in which he collaborated in setting a demobilization timetable for the EPL, the PRT
and the Quintín Lame Movement. In 1992 under the government of César Gaviria
Serpa led the failed negotiation attempts with the ELN guerrilla in Tlaxcala
, Mexico.
During the government of Samper, Serpa intended to negotiate with the FARC guerrilla. The terrorist group asked for the demilitarization of La Uribe
, Meta
a region in central Colombia, but were unsuccessful. Serpa opposed to the CONVIVIR
groups created by Fernando Botero
, a group of self-defense groups intended to improve security in areas were the government couldn't reach. Despite his opposition the plan of the CONVIVIR was approved. He then traveled to Bonn
, Germany where the Colombian government and local government of Bonn were again trying to negotiate with the ELN guerrilla, but this peace talks also failed.
Second round
This elections were won by Álvaro Uribe by a majority vote of half plus one vote, which according to the Colombian Constitution of 1991
made a secondary election unnecessary. After these negative results for his political career Serpa said that he would never run for the presidency ever again. Few years later he changed his position and after quiting his post as ambassador of Colombia to the Organization of American States
(OAS), he decided to run again for the presidency. In 2005 he was appointed vice-president of the Socialist International
.
On March 12, 2006 Serpa was selected as candidate for the Colombian Liberal Party
for the presidency of Colombia.
s. He is scheduled to take office on January 1, 2008.
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
n politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
and lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
. Horacio Serpa has run as the Colombian Liberal Party
Colombian Liberal Party
The Colombian Liberal Party is a center-left party in Colombia that adheres to social democracy and social liberalism.The Party was founded in 1848 and, together with the Colombian Conservative Party, subsequently became one of the two main political forces in the country for over a century.After...
candidate for President of Colombia
President of Colombia
The President of Colombia is the head of state and head of government of the Republic of Colombia. The office of president was established upon the ratification of the Constitution of 1819, by the Congress of Angostura, convened in December 1819, when Colombia was part of "la Gran Colombia"...
on three occasions; in 1998, 2002, and 2006. He previously served as congressman
Congress of Colombia
The Congress of the Republic of Colombia is the name given to Colombia's bicameral national legislature.The Congress of Colombia consists of the 102-seat Senate , and the 166-seat Chamber of Representatives ...
for Santander
Santander Department
Santander is a department of Colombia. Santander inherited the name of one of the nine original states of the United States of Colombia. It is located in the central northern part of the country, east of the Magdalena River, bordered to the south and southeast by Boyacá, to the northeast by Norte...
as Senator
Senate of Colombia
The Senate of the Republic of Colombia is the upper house of the Congress of Colombia, with the lower house being the Chamber of Representatives of Colombia...
, Inspector General of Colombia
Inspector General of Colombia
The Office of the Inspector General of Colombia is a Colombian independent, public institution overseeing the public conduct of those in authority or in charge of exercising a public office, and of overseeing the correct functioning of other government institutions and agencies...
, president of the National Constituent Assembly
Constituent Assembly of Colombia
The Constituent Assembly of Colombia was formed on February 5, 1991, to draft Colombia's 1991 constitution. It was dissolved in June 1991, after the new document was adopted nationwide.-Background:...
, Minister of the Interior, and as Ambassador of Colombia to the Organization of American States
Organization of American States
The Organization of American States is a regional international organization, headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States...
. He was also involved in the 8000 process scandal in which money from the Cali Cartel
Cali Cartel
The Cali Cartel was a drug cartel based in southern Colombia, around the city of Cali and the Valle del Cauca Department. The Cali Cartel was founded by the Rodríguez Orejuela brothers, Gilberto and Miguel, as well as associate José Santacruz Londoño...
entered the presidential campaign of Liberal
Colombian Liberal Party
The Colombian Liberal Party is a center-left party in Colombia that adheres to social democracy and social liberalism.The Party was founded in 1848 and, together with the Colombian Conservative Party, subsequently became one of the two main political forces in the country for over a century.After...
candidate Ernesto Samper
Ernesto Samper
Ernesto Samper Pizano is a Colombian politician. He served as the President of Colombia from August 7, 1994 to August 7, 1998, representing the Liberal Party. He was involved in the 8000 process scandal, which takes its name from the folio number assigned to it by the chief prosecutor's office...
. In 2007 Serpa ran for the governorship of Santander Department
Santander Department
Santander is a department of Colombia. Santander inherited the name of one of the nine original states of the United States of Colombia. It is located in the central northern part of the country, east of the Magdalena River, bordered to the south and southeast by Boyacá, to the northeast by Norte...
and was elected on October, 28 in the Colombian regional election
Colombian regional election, 2007
The Colombian elections of 2007 refers to the democratic elections of October 28, 2007 in the Republic of Colombia. The elections were organized as established by the Colombian Constitution of 1991 by the National Electoral Council to elect Department governors with its respective Department...
s.
Political career
Horacio Serpa has worked in three branches of power in Colombia. After graduating as a lawyer from the Universidad del Atlántico in BarranquillaBarranquilla
Barranquilla is an industrial port city and municipality located in northern Colombia, near the Caribbean Sea. The capital of the Atlántico Department, it is the largest industrial city and port in the Colombian Caribbean region with a population of 1,148,506 as of 2005, which makes it Colombia's...
, Serpa went back to his native Santander Department and became a judge for the town of Tona
Tona, Santander
Tona is a town and municipality in the Santander Department in northeastern Colombia....
. He later became a Penal Judge in the town of San Vicente de Chucurí
San Vicente de Chucurí
San Vicente de Chucurí is a town and municipality in the Santander Department in northeastern Colombia.-External links:...
and then Civil Municipal Judge for the town of Barrancabermeja
Barrancabermeja
Barrancabermeja is a city and municipality in Santander Department, in northeastern Colombia. It is located on the banks of the Magdalena River in the Middle Magdalena region, 110 km west of Bucaramanga. Founded in 1536, Barrancabermeja is home of the biggest petroleum refinery in Colombia,...
. In Barrancabermeja Serpa also served as Criminal Investigator, Circuit Penal Judge and Superior Judge. During this time Serpa became interested in politics and began participating actively in the Liberal Revolutionary Movement (MRL) as member of the youths, this movement had been founded by Alfonso López Michelsen
Alfonso López Michelsen
Alfonso López Michelsen was a Colombian politician, lawyer and journalist. Lopez Michelsen was President of Colombia from 1974 to 1978. He was the son of Alfonso López Pumarejo, who was also president of Colombia from 1934 to 1938, and once again from 1942 to 1945...
.
Serpa concentrated his political efforts in the Magdalena medio (Middle Magdalena Region), a convulsioned region in which the ELN guerrilla
National Liberation Army (Colombia)
National Liberation Army is a revolutionary, avowed Marxist guerrilla group that has been operating in several regions of Colombia since 1964....
was born. In 1970 Serpa was appointed Mayor of Barrancabermeja by Alfonso Gómez Gómez and later became Secretary of Education for the Santander Department.
In the legislative branch Serpa served as councilman for the town of Barrancabermeja and later as National Chamber of Representatives
Chamber of Representatives of Colombia
The Chamber of Representatives is the lower house of the Congress of Colombia.The Chamber has 166 elected members for four-year terms.-How the Chamber is elected:...
representing Santander Department as replacement for congressman Rogelio Ayala in 1974. Serpa was reelected for the periods of 1978 and 1982 under a movement founded by him, the Authentic Liberal Leftist Front (Frente de Izquierda Liberal Auténtico, FILA) aligned with the official Liberal party.
In the Chamber of Representatives Serpa became President of the Accusations Commission and President of the Congress of the Republic Plan Commission. In 1985 Serpa ran for the senate
Senate of Colombia
The Senate of the Republic of Colombia is the upper house of the Congress of Colombia, with the lower house being the Chamber of Representatives of Colombia...
and was elected. In 1998 Serpa was appointed Inspector General of Colombia
Inspector General of Colombia
The Office of the Inspector General of Colombia is a Colombian independent, public institution overseeing the public conduct of those in authority or in charge of exercising a public office, and of overseeing the correct functioning of other government institutions and agencies...
. He also served as Minister of Government, Minister of Interior, Presidential Peace Advisor and Ministry Delegate in Presidential Functions during the Liberal presidencies of Virgilio Barco (1986–1990) and Ernesto Samper
Ernesto Samper
Ernesto Samper Pizano is a Colombian politician. He served as the President of Colombia from August 7, 1994 to August 7, 1998, representing the Liberal Party. He was involved in the 8000 process scandal, which takes its name from the folio number assigned to it by the chief prosecutor's office...
(1994–1998).
Serpa was later elected for the National Constituent Assembly
National Constituent Assembly
The National Constituent Assembly was formed from the National Assembly on 9 July 1789, during the first stages of the French Revolution. It dissolved on 30 September 1791 and was succeeded by the Legislative Assembly.-Background:...
in 1991 in which he shared a collegiate presidency with Antonio Navarro Wolff
Antonio Navarro Wolff
Antonio Navarro Wolff is a Colombian politician and former commander of the 19th of April Movement guerrilla group, which demobilized and formed a political party which he also led...
(former member of the M-19 guerrilla
19th of April Movement
The 19th of April Movement or M-19, was a Colombian guerrilla movement. After its demobilization it became a political party, the M-19 Democratic Alliance , or AD/M-19.The M-19 traced its origins to the allegedly fraudulent presidential elections of 19 April 1970...
) and Álvaro Gómez Hurtado
Álvaro Gómez Hurtado
Álvaro Gómez Hurtado was a Colombian lawyer, politician, journalist and active member of the Colombian Conservative Party. Gómez was a son of the former President of Colombia, Laureano Gómez...
(representative of the Conservative Party
Colombian Conservative Party
The Colombian Conservative Party , is a conservative political party in Colombia. The party was unofficially founded by a group of Revolutionary Commoners during the Revolutionary War for Independence from the Spanish Monarchy and later formally established during the Greater Colombia...
) to create the Colombian Constitution of 1991
Colombian Constitution of 1991
The Political Constitution of Colombia, better known as the Constitution of 1991, is the current governing document of the Republic of Colombia. Promulgated on July 4 of 1991 , it replaced the Constitution of 1886...
.
After the creation of the new constitution Serpa continued as President of Liberal Directorate in the Santander Department and President of the Central Politics Commission of the Liberal Party. He was then prospect for presidential candidate in 1998, but was shaded by Ernesto Samper. Serpa was then elected National Director of the Liberal party for the period 1998 - 1999. During the government of Álvaro Uribe
Álvaro Uribe
Alvaro Uribe Vélez was the 58th President of Colombia, from 2002 to 2010. In August 2010 he was appointed Vice-chairman of the UN panel investigating the Gaza flotilla raid....
, Serpa was appointed ambassador of Colombia to the Organization of American States (OAS) with he also disputed the presidential bids of 2002 and 2006.
8000 Process involvement
In 1981 Serpa met Ernesto Samper Pizano who was working as debate chief of Alfonso López MichelsenAlfonso López Michelsen
Alfonso López Michelsen was a Colombian politician, lawyer and journalist. Lopez Michelsen was President of Colombia from 1974 to 1978. He was the son of Alfonso López Pumarejo, who was also president of Colombia from 1934 to 1938, and once again from 1942 to 1945...
's second presidential campaign and became good friends. For the presidential campaign of 1990 Samper became a candidate and Serpa collaborated with his efforts in the Santander Department, his region of influence, while being the leader of his movement: the FILA. But Samper failed the elections.
In the 1994 elections Serpa became Debate Chief of Samper's presidential campaign and this time Samper was elected president of Colombia. Pm June 20, 1994 the opposing presidential candidate Andrés Pastrana then made public the "Narcocassettes" a series of telephone recordings in which members of the Cali drug cartel
Cali Cartel
The Cali Cartel was a drug cartel based in southern Colombia, around the city of Cali and the Valle del Cauca Department. The Cali Cartel was founded by the Rodríguez Orejuela brothers, Gilberto and Miguel, as well as associate José Santacruz Londoño...
mainly journalist Alberto Giraldo talked with Gilberto
Gilberto Rodríguez Orejuela
Gilberto José Rodríguez Orejuela is a Colombian druglord, formerly one of the leaders of the Cali Cartel, based in the city of Cali.-Cali Cartel:...
and Miguel Rodríguez Orejuela
Miguel Rodríguez Orejuela
Miguel Angel Rodríguez Orejuela is a Colombian druglord, formerly one of the leaders of the Cali Cartel, based in the city of Cali. He is the younger brother of Gilberto Rodríguez Orejuela...
regarding the financing of the Samper campaign for the presidency.
The Supreme Court of Colombia
Supreme Court of Colombia
The Supreme Court of Colombia in Bogotá is the highest judicial body in civil and penal matters and issues of criminal and civil procedure in Colombia...
then opened an investigation which was dubbed the "Proceso 8000
Proceso 8000
8,000 Process was the unofficial name of the legal investigation of events surrounding accusations that the Liberal candidate Ernesto Samper's 1994 campaign for President of Colombia was partially funded with drug money...
". Serpa defended Samper against these allegations of drug money entering the campaign in which he was also involved. The relations with the United States government a major contributor to the drug effort in Colombia, deteriorated. Samper and most of his collaborators were absolved from any wrong doing with the exception of Fernando Botero
Fernando Botero Zea
Fernando Botero Zea is a Colombian politician who served in several public positions, including as Defense Minister under President Ernesto Samper, for whom he was campaign manager in his presidential run. Botero was elected as a member of the Colombian Congress for the Liberal Party...
and Santiago Medina. But the scandal involved a dozen representatives of the Colombian congress and numerous politicians and businessman with the Cali cartel. After this incident Serpa's credibility maintained a low margin within Colombians for supporting Samper, as well as responding to criticism with aggravating words.
Peace negotiator
During his time as congressman, Serpa was always assisting and representing the government in conflicts between worker unions, social conflicts and the government mainly in the Santander Department where he had his political niche. Serpa has always been in favor of a peacefully negotiated solution. During the government of Belisario BetancurBelisario Betancur
Belisario Betancur Cuartas is a Colombian statesman, who as a member of the Colombian Conservative Party was President of Colombia from 1982 to 1986.- Biographic data :...
, Serpa was invited to be a negotiator between the ELN guerrilla
National Liberation Army (Colombia)
National Liberation Army is a revolutionary, avowed Marxist guerrilla group that has been operating in several regions of Colombia since 1964....
and was part of numerous peace commissions that never reached successful results.
During the government of Virgilio Barco, Serpa was appointed Minister of Government in which he collaborated in setting a demobilization timetable for the EPL, the PRT
Workers Revolutionary Party of Colombia
Workers Revolutionary Party of Colombia was a political party in Colombia. The party was founded in 1982. It emerged out of the 'Majority' faction of the Marxist-Leninist-Maoist Tendency, a group that had broken away from the Communist Party of Colombia in the mid-1970s.PRT launched armed...
and the Quintín Lame Movement. In 1992 under the government of César Gaviria
César Gaviria
César Gaviria Trujillo is a Colombian politician and a Latin American statesman. He served as President of Colombia from 1990 to 1994, and Secretary General of the Organization of American States from 1994 until 2004.-Early life:...
Serpa led the failed negotiation attempts with the ELN guerrilla in Tlaxcala
Tlaxcala
Tlaxcala officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Tlaxcala is one of the 31 states which along with the Federal District comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided into 60 municipalities and its capital city is Tlaxcala....
, Mexico.
During the government of Samper, Serpa intended to negotiate with the FARC guerrilla. The terrorist group asked for the demilitarization of La Uribe
La Uribe
La Uribe is a town and municipality in the Meta Department, Colombia....
, Meta
Meta Department
Meta is a department of Colombia. It is close to the geographic center of the country, to the east of the Andean mountains. A large portion of the department, which is also crossed by the Meta River, is covered by a grassland plain known as the Llanos. Its capital is Villavicencio...
a region in central Colombia, but were unsuccessful. Serpa opposed to the CONVIVIR
CONVIVIR
CONVIVIR was a national program of cooperative neighbourhood watch groups created by a February 11, 1994 decree of Colombia's Ministry of National Defense and a law passed in the Colombian Congress, in response to growing guerrilla activity...
groups created by Fernando Botero
Fernando Botero Zea
Fernando Botero Zea is a Colombian politician who served in several public positions, including as Defense Minister under President Ernesto Samper, for whom he was campaign manager in his presidential run. Botero was elected as a member of the Colombian Congress for the Liberal Party...
, a group of self-defense groups intended to improve security in areas were the government couldn't reach. Despite his opposition the plan of the CONVIVIR was approved. He then traveled to Bonn
Bonn
Bonn is the 19th largest city in Germany. Located in the Cologne/Bonn Region, about 25 kilometres south of Cologne on the river Rhine in the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, it was the capital of West Germany from 1949 to 1990 and the official seat of government of united Germany from 1990 to 1999....
, Germany where the Colombian government and local government of Bonn were again trying to negotiate with the ELN guerrilla, but this peace talks also failed.
1998
First round- Horacio Serpa U. (Vice: María Emma Mejía): 3,647,007 (34.64%)
- Andrés Pastrana (Vice: Gustavo Bell): 3,613,278 (34.32%)
Second round
- Andrés Pastrana: 6,086,507 (50.39%)
- Horacio Serpa: 5,620,719 (46.53%)
2002
- Álvaro UribeÁlvaro UribeAlvaro Uribe Vélez was the 58th President of Colombia, from 2002 to 2010. In August 2010 he was appointed Vice-chairman of the UN panel investigating the Gaza flotilla raid....
(Vice: Francisco Santos CalderónFrancisco Santos CalderónFrancisco Santos Calderón also known as Pacho Santos born 14 August 1961 in the city of Bogotá, is a Colombian politician and journalist. Santos was elected as Álvaro Uribe's second runner up and became Vice President in the Colombian elections of 2002...
): 5.862.655 (53,048%) - Horacio Serpa: (Vice: José Gregorio Hernández Galindo): 3.514.779 (31,803%)
This elections were won by Álvaro Uribe by a majority vote of half plus one vote, which according to the Colombian Constitution of 1991
Colombian Constitution of 1991
The Political Constitution of Colombia, better known as the Constitution of 1991, is the current governing document of the Republic of Colombia. Promulgated on July 4 of 1991 , it replaced the Constitution of 1886...
made a secondary election unnecessary. After these negative results for his political career Serpa said that he would never run for the presidency ever again. Few years later he changed his position and after quiting his post as ambassador of Colombia to the Organization of American States
Organization of American States
The Organization of American States is a regional international organization, headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States...
(OAS), he decided to run again for the presidency. In 2005 he was appointed vice-president of the Socialist International
Socialist International
The Socialist International is a worldwide organization of democratic socialist, social democratic and labour political parties. It was formed in 1951.- History :...
.
2006
Colombian Liberal Party
The Colombian Liberal Party is a center-left party in Colombia that adheres to social democracy and social liberalism.The Party was founded in 1848 and, together with the Colombian Conservative Party, subsequently became one of the two main political forces in the country for over a century.After...
for the presidency of Colombia.
- Álvaro UribeÁlvaro UribeAlvaro Uribe Vélez was the 58th President of Colombia, from 2002 to 2010. In August 2010 he was appointed Vice-chairman of the UN panel investigating the Gaza flotilla raid....
(Vice president: Francisco SantosFrancisco SantosXeskoFrancisco Santos's primary nom d'art or alter ego.Alan J. BantaThe heteronym Alan J. Banta is described as a civil engineer, born in the year of 1952 in Kakamas, a village located in the Northern Cape, South Africa but living and working in Angola. After independence, in 1975, remained in the...
): 7,397,835 (62.35%) - Carlos Gaviria (Vice president: Patricia Lara): 2,613,157 (22.02%)
- Horacio Serpa: (Vice president :Luis Iván Marulanda Gómez): 1,404,235 (11.83%)
Candidate for Governor of Santander
On October 28, 2007 Serpa was elected Governor of the Department of Santander by popular vote in the Colombian regional electionColombian regional election, 2007
The Colombian elections of 2007 refers to the democratic elections of October 28, 2007 in the Republic of Colombia. The elections were organized as established by the Colombian Constitution of 1991 by the National Electoral Council to elect Department governors with its respective Department...
s. He is scheduled to take office on January 1, 2008.