February 19, 2021 The power of Colombia’s president depends on his ability to manage the sometimes opposing interests of those who really control the country, like the so-called clans. While formally a democracy, all presidents of the 21st century have had no choice but to balance serving the public interest with private and even criminal interests. This unstable balance of power is partly due to the country’s political history and culture, and partly a consequence of the country’s armed conflict. The origins Bogota‘s inability to exercise political power on a national level since the beginning of the republic has perpetuated a regional clan culture, particularly along the Pacific and Caribbean coasts where slavery was most common.