Democratic Center (Colombia)

The party was founded in 2014. A key factor in this were the Government negotiations with FARC, the major left-wing anti-government guerilla force in the Colombian armed conflict.[12]

Although created as a decidedly right-wing party, its members now come from a wide range of political backgrounds, including former politicians of the right-wing Conservative Party, the center-right Social Party of National Unity, and from the left-wing Alternative Democratic Pole, such as Senator Everth Bustamante.[13]

In the 2014 congressional elections, the Democratic Centre won 20 seats in the Senate and 19 seats in the House of Representatives.

In the 2014 presidential election, the Democratic Centre chose former Senator and Finance Minister during the Uribe Administration Óscar Iván Zuluaga as its presidential nominee. Zuluaga won the first round, but subsequently lost the second round to President-candidate Santos.[14]

Despite the second round loss, the electoral performance in both congressional and presidential elections provided the Democratic Centre with a platform to establish itself as the major opposition party in Colombia. The party has since taken steps to improve its political infrastructure given that it lagged in funding and party organisation compared to more traditional political parties.