Family clans play a pivotal role in Colombian politics, with entire regions often dominated by powerful patrilineal groups tied to political networks. Many prominent political figures today trace their lineage to influential leaders of the past, continuing their family legacies.
For example, Miguel Uribe Turbay, a rising conservative voice in the Democratic Center party, is the grandson of President Julio Cesar Turbay (1978-1982), while Paloma Valencia, another party member, is the granddaughter of President Guillermo Leon Valencia (1962-1966).
On the left, Clara Lopez represents a political dynasty that includes her great-uncle, two-time President Alfonso Lopez Pumarejo, who served in the 1930s and 1940s. Additionally, the children of leaders assassinated during the violent 1980s, like Luis Carlos Galan and Rodrigo Lara Bonilla, continue to shape the political landscape.
The Santos family deserves special mention as a political dynasty that has produced four presidents and one vice president, with its most recent representation being former President Juan Manuel Santos (2010-2018).
Powerful local family clans in Colombia
The Aguilar family in Santander
The Santander department in northeastern Colombia, known for its conservative politics, has long been dominated by the Aguilar family, an influential political dynasty embroiled in multiple corruption scandals. Patriarch Hugo Aguilar, a former governor who was last in power around 20 years ago, was disgraced for his ties to paramilitary groups.
His sons Richard and Mauricio have also served as governors, with Mauricio holding the governorship from 2020 to 2023. Both have served as senators, maintaining significant control over the department’s politics. Despite the disqualification of leading candidate Rodolfo Hernandez, the Aguilar-backed Hector Mantilla did not secure the governor’s office.
The Char family in Barranquilla and Atlantico
The all-powerful Char family enjoys absolute political hegemony in the Atlantico region in the Colombian Caribbean.
Fuad Char, patriarch of the Char family, is the son of a Syrian merchant who settled in Colombia. He co-founded Almacenes Olímpica – one of the biggest supermarket chains in Colombia – with family members in the mid-1950s. He began his public career in 1977 as president of Junior de Barranquilla, the most iconic football club in the Colombian Caribbean region.
His involvement in sports paved the way for his entry into politics, leading to his election as governor of Atlantico in 1984. Char later transitioned to national politics, serving as a senator from 1990 to 2014, except during the 2006-2010 term, and holding roles as a minister and ambassador to Portugal.
His three sons have been active in regional affairs: Alejandro, Arturo and Antonio. The youngest, Antonio, is the CEO of the family business, Almacenes Olímpica. Alejandro and Arturo have pursued extensive political careers.
His son Alejandro Char currently serves as mayor of Barranquilla, a position he held twice in the past (2016-2020 and 2008-2012), and also served as Governor of the Atlantico Department.
Arturo Char began his public career as president of a football club in 2003, following in his father’s footsteps. He later transitioned to the Senate of the Republic, serving from 2006 to 2010 and again from 2014 to 2023. He held the Senate presidency from 2020 to 2021.
Char resigned from the Senate in February 2023, facing accusations of electoral corruption.
Other members of the coastal family involved in politics include David Char, a former congressman, and José Miguel Char, who served as an anti-corruption delegate in President Juan Manuel Santos’ administration.
Family and politics in Colombia: The case of the Magdalena department
The Magdalena department, adjacent to Atlantico in the Colombian Caribbean, presents a unique political case. Magdalena, known as the land of Carlos Vives, has traditionally been dominated by the Vives, Cotes and Díaz-Granados families in both regional politics and the capital, Santa Marta.
However, some of these politicians have been convicted in recent years for ties to paramilitary groups. Regional politics shifted dramatically in 2012 when Carlos Caicedo, a former rector of the University of Magdalena, won the mayoral race in Santa Marta. Caicedo broke from the Liberal Party and founded his own political movement, Fuerza Ciudadana. Since the party has governed the city with growing support, with mayors being Rafa Martínez and Virna Johnson.
In 2019, Carlos Caicedo made history by winning the governorship of Magdalena, ending the political dominance of the Cotes family, which included Luis Miguel and Rosa Cotes. This victory marked a significant shift in the region’s political landscape.
Since then, Caicedo has maintained political control in Magdalena. In the 2023 local and regional elections, his organization nominated Rafa Martínez, a former mayor of Santa Marta, as the candidate for governor, election he ultimately won.
Patricia Caicedo, Carlos’s sister, was nominated for the mayoralty of Santa Marta, but the Colombian electoral authority disqualified Patricia Caicedo’s candidacy due to family incompatibility. Under Colombian law, direct relatives cannot run for office in a region where another family member currently holds a governing position.
New political movements like Fuerza Ciudadana – which supports President Gustavo Petro’s government through its control of Magdalena – appear to mirror traditional practices of political endogamy.
The dynamics in Santander, Atlantico, and Magdalena illustrate how politics often intertwine family and regional interests, frequently prioritizing opaque agendas. Political endogamy has caused a widespread public disaffection with politics – a sentiment that ultimately benefits the dominant political clans.