Humberto de la Calle Lombana (; born 14 July 1946) is a Colombian
lawyer
A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...
and
politician
A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...
. He served as
Vice President of Colombia
The Vice President of Colombia ( es, Vicepresidente de Colombia), officially known as the Vice President of the Republic of Colombia ('' es, Vicepresidente de la Republica de Colombia'') or Vice President of the Nation ('' es, Vicepresidente de ...
from 1994 to 1997. De La Calle served in the cabinet as Interior Minister under two Presidents,
Andrés Pastrana and
César Gaviria
César Augusto Gaviria Trujillo ( ; born 31 March 1947) is a Colombian economist and politician who served as the President of Colombia from 1990 to 1994, Secretary General of the Organization of American States from 1994 to 2004 and National Di ...
. He also served as Ambassador to Spain and the United Kingdom. After 2003, De La Calle worked at his own Law firm which specialises in advising and representing international clients in Colombia. In October 2012 he was appointed by President
Juan Manuel Santos
Juan Manuel Santos Calderón (; born 10 August 1951) is a Colombian politician who was the President of Colombia from 2010 to 2018. He was the sole recipient of the 2016 Nobel Peace Prize.
An economist by profession and a journalist by trade, ...
as the chief negotiator in
the peace process with the FARC.
Education and Family
During his high school years, De La Calle was a known activist of
Nadaism
Nadaism ( es, Nadaísmo, meaning "Nothing-ism" in English) was an artistic and philosophical counterculture movement in Colombia prevalent from 1958 to 1964. The movement was founded by writer Gonzalo Arango and was influenced by nihilism, existent ...
and an admirer of Colombian poet
Gonzalo Arango
Gonzalo Arango Arias (Andes, Antioquia, 1931 – Gachancipá, Cundinamarca, 1976) was a Colombian writer, poet, and journalist. In 1958 he led a modern literary and cultural movement known as Nadaísmo (Nothing-''ism''), inspired by surr ...
. He studied at the
University of Caldas
The University of Caldas ( es, Universidad de Caldas), is a public, coeducational, research university based in Manizales, Caldas, Colombia. It is the most important higher education institution in the Department of Caldas. It is a public univers ...
where he earned a law degree and met his future wife and mother of his three children. De La Calle then went on to study International Law at the
Inter-American Judicial Committee in 1979. De la Calle is an
atheist
Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no ...
.
Law career
De la Calle became a professor while practicing his law profession under private law firms. He started teaching in 1978 and became
Dean
Dean may refer to:
People
* Dean (given name)
* Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin
* Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk
* Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean
Titles
* ...
in the universities of
Caldas and
Manizales
Manizales () is a city in central Colombia. It is the capital of the Caldas Department, Department of Caldas, and lies near the Nevado del Ruiz volcano.
Currently, the city is the main center for the production of Colombian coffee and an importa ...
until 1980. He also taught in prestigious universities from
Bogotá
Bogotá (, also , , ), officially Bogotá, Distrito Capital, abbreviated Bogotá, D.C., and formerly known as Santa Fe de Bogotá (; ) during the Spanish period and between 1991 and 2000, is the capital city of Colombia, and one of the larges ...
, such as
Andes University and
Our Lady of the Rosary University
Universidad del Rosario (officially in es, Colegio Mayor de Nuestra Señora del Rosario) is a Colombian university founded on Roman Catholic principles, in 1653 by Fray Cristobal de Torres. Located in Bogotá, due to its important place in Co ...
.
For almost a decade De la Calle served in the
Judicial Branch
The judiciary (also known as the judicial system, judicature, judicial branch, judiciative branch, and court or judiciary system) is the system of courts that adjudicates legal disputes/disagreements and interprets, defends, and applies the law ...
; he was appointed
National Civil Registrar in the late 1980s during the administration of President
Belisario Betancur
Belisario Betancur Cuartas (4 February 1923 – 7 December 2018) was a Colombian politician who served as the 26th President of Colombia from 1982 to 1986. He was a member of the Colombian Conservative Party. His presidency was noted for its at ...
. In 1986 De la Calle also served as an
Associate Justice
Associate justice or associate judge (or simply associate) is a judicial panel member who is not the chief justice in some jurisdictions. The title "Associate Justice" is used for members of the Supreme Court of the United States and some state ...
on the
Supreme Court
A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...
.
Political career
In 1990 he was appointed to the
Ministry of Government during the administration of
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
*President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
César Gaviria
César Augusto Gaviria Trujillo ( ; born 31 March 1947) is a Colombian economist and politician who served as the President of Colombia from 1990 to 1994, Secretary General of the Organization of American States from 1994 to 2004 and National Di ...
until 1992. In 1993 followers of President Gaviria from the
Liberal Party
The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left.
__TOC__ Active liberal parties
This is a li ...
suggested De la Calle as a possible presidential candidate. De la Calle resigned as minister to pursue the presidency, but in the
party primaries he was defeated by
Ernesto Samper
Ernesto Samper Pizano (born 3 August 1950) is a Colombian politician. Samper is a member of the influential Samper family. He served as the President of Colombia from 1994 to 1998, representing the Liberal Party. From 2014 to 2017 he served as ...
. Samper then invited De la Calle to be his
vice president
A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on t ...
.
In the 1994 Presidential election, Samper and De La Calle were elected.
In the May primary election and the June
general election
A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...
of 1994, Samper and De la Calle were elected. De la Calle's relationship with President Samper was not strong and he was appointed as Ambassador to
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
while still serving as vice president.
In 1996 with the outbreak of the
8000 Process
8 (eight) is the natural number following 7 and preceding 9.
In mathematics
8 is:
* a composite number, its proper divisors being , , and . It is twice 4 or four times 2.
* a power of two, being 2 (two cubed), and is the first number of t ...
scandal in which the Samper presidential campaign received millions of dollars from the
Cali Cartel
The Cali Cartel ( es, Cartel de Cali) was a drug cartel based in southern Colombia, around the city of Cali and the Valle del Cauca. Its founders were the brothers Gilberto Rodríguez Orejuela and Miguel Rodríguez Orejuela. They broke away fr ...
, De la Calle's relationship with the government deteriorated to the point that De la Calle asked for the resignation of President Samper. After President Samper decided not to resign, and the government continued to lose credibility, De La Calle finally resigned as vice President in 1997.
De la Calle then allied with
Andrés Pastrana, a
conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...
and political foe of President Samper. In the 1998 elections Pastrana was elected president and appointed De la Calle Ambassador to the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
, a position in which he served from 1998 to 2000. He was then appointed as
Minister of the Interior
An interior minister (sometimes called a minister of internal affairs or minister of home affairs) is a cabinet official position that is responsible for internal affairs, such as public security, civil registration and identification, emergency ...
, where he served between the years 2000 and 2001.
From 2001 to 2003 De la Calle served as Colombia's Ambassador to the
Organization of American States
The Organization of American States (OAS; es, Organización de los Estados Americanos, pt, Organização dos Estados Americanos, french: Organisation des États américains; ''OEA'') is an international organization that was founded on 30 April ...
(OAS). Afterwards he worked in his own law firm with his associates Ignacio Londoño Rivera, José Miguel de la Calle Restrepo and Mario Posada García-Peña. The firm offers services on legal advice and legal representation in different legal areas for Colombian nationals and international clients. He is also a regular columnist in the Bogotá daily ''
El Espectador
''El Espectador'' (meaning "The Spectator") is a newspaper with national circulation within Colombia, founded by Fidel Cano Gutiérrez on 22 March 1887 in Medellín and published since 1915 in Bogotá. It changed from a daily to a weekly editio ...
''.
2012-2016 Colombian Peace Process
On 1 October 2012, President
Juan Manuel Santos
Juan Manuel Santos Calderón (; born 10 August 1951) is a Colombian politician who was the President of Colombia from 2010 to 2018. He was the sole recipient of the 2016 Nobel Peace Prize.
An economist by profession and a journalist by trade, ...
appointed De La Calle as the government's chief negotiator with the
FARC
The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – People's Army ( es, link=no, Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de ColombiaEjército del Pueblo, FARC–EP or FARC) is a Marxist–Leninist guerrilla group involved in the continuing Colombian conflic ...
in the
Colombian peace process
The Colombian peace process is the peace process between the Colombian government of President Juan Manuel Santos and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC–EP) to bring an end to the Colombian conflict, which eventually led to the ...
which was hosted in
Havana
Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center. , Cuba.
As a result of these peace talks, a final agreement was concluded in September 2016. The agreement was put to a vote in a
special referendum in October 2016, during this period the polls were very tight and the campaign became very divisive between the Yes and No campaigns. After a low turnout, the Yes campaign lost with 50.2% voting No and 49.8% voting in favour of the peace accords. After government meetings with the opposition, and Government and FARC representatives, a new agreement based on the original version but with adjustments was signed. The
Senate
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
and House of Representatives soon approved the new agreement with substantial majorities. Currently De La Calle continues in his position, now charged with facilitating the implementation of the agreements.
In March 2017, De La Calle announced that he will work to form a coalition of different political parties in order to provide a unified front that will protect and implement the peace agreements. He ran in the 2018
presidential election
A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President.
Elections by country
Albania
The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public.
Chile
The pre ...
as the candidate of the
Liberal Party
The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left.
__TOC__ Active liberal parties
This is a li ...
/
Indigenous Social Alliance Coalition. De La Calle hoped to prevent right wing candidate
Iván Duque Márquez
Ivan () is a Slavic male given name, connected with the variant of the Greek name (English: John) from Hebrew meaning 'God is gracious'. It is associated worldwide with Slavic countries. The earliest person known to bear the name was Bulgari ...
from getting elected and disrupting the
Colombian peace process
The Colombian peace process is the peace process between the Colombian government of President Juan Manuel Santos and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC–EP) to bring an end to the Colombian conflict, which eventually led to the ...
.
He was elected senator in 2022 under the colors of the Oxygen Green Party. He was excluded shortly afterwards, following a conflict with
Íngrid Betancourt
Íngrid Betancourt Pulecio (; born 25 December 1961) is a Colombian politician, former senator and anti-corruption activist, especially opposing political corruption.
Betancourt was kidnapped by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) ...
.
Published work
Books
*La Acción Cambiaria. Editorial Dike. (The Exchange Stock)
*La inoperancia del negocio jurídico. Editorial Temis. (The Inopperativeness of the Judicial Business)
*Anatomía del Cambio -de los sesenta al siglo 21-. Editorial Planeta. (Anatomy of Change)
*En defensa de la Descentralización. (Defending Decentralization)
*Código Electoral Comentado. Editorial Legis. (Commented Electoral Code)
*Intervenciones en la Asamblea Constituyente de 1991 como Ministerio de Gobierno. (Interventions as Minister of Government in the
Constituent Assembly of Colombia
The Constituent Assembly of Colombia ( es, Asamblea Nacional Constituyente de Colombia) was formed on February 5, 1991, to draft the Colombian Constitution of 1991. It was dissolved in June 1991, after the new document was adopted nationwide.
B ...
)
*Carta Democrática Interamericana –Documentos e Interpretaciones- OEA. (). (Inter-American Democratic Charter-Document and Interpretations- OAS. (editor and author of the chapter on Colombia))
Magazine articles
*La inexistencia (en el campo jurídico). Revista de Derecho Comercial. (The Unexistance (in the judicial field)
*Contrato de Seguros y Desvalorización Monetaria. Derecho Colombiano. (Insurance contracts and Monetary devaluation. Second Semester of 1981)
*Buena fe y buena fe exenta de culpa en materia cambiaria. Derecho Colombiano. Segundo Semestre de 1983. (Good Faith and Good Faith Exempt from Culpability in Exchange Matters)
*Títulos Valores. Revista de la Cámara de Comercio de Manizales. (Securities. Manizales Chamber of Commerce Magazine)
* La Constitución y el manejo del Orden Público. Revista de la Universidad de los Andes. (The Constitution and the Handling of Public Order)
* The Nature of Public, Private and Mixed Financing. In Financing Democracies in Latin America. The
Carter Center
The Carter Center is a nongovernmental, not-for-profit organization founded in 1982 by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter. He and his wife Rosalynn Carter partnered with Emory University just after his defeat in the 1980 United States presidenti ...
. March 2003.
* Transparency and accountability in Colombia. In Public Sector Transparency and Accountability. OECD. OEA. 2002.
* Los Partidos Políticos en América Latina. En Dinero y Contienda Política-electoral. IFE. Méjico. 2001. (The Political Parties in Latin America. Money and Electoral-Political Contendents)
* Financiación de los Partidos Políticos y las Campañas Electorales en Colombia. En La financiación de la política en Iberoamérica. IIDH. CAPEL. (Political Parties and Electoral Campaigns Financing in Colombia. On the Financing of Politics in Latin America)
References
*
De la Calle, Londoño and Posada Law Firm*
''Dinero'' "Power in Colombia: The hundred most influential people in Colombia"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Calle, Humberto de la
1946 births
Living people
20th-century Colombian judges
Vice presidents of Colombia
Presidential Designates of Colombia
Permanent Representatives of Colombia to the Organization of American States
Ambassadors of Colombia to Spain
Ambassadors of Colombia to the United Kingdom
Colombian male writers
People from Caldas Department
Colombian Ministers of Government
Colombian Ministers of the Interior
Colombian Liberal Party politicians
Magistrates of the Supreme Court of Justice of Colombia
Colombian atheists
University of Caldas alumni
20th-century Colombian politicians
21st-century Colombian politicians