Why did Colombia’s Liberal and Conservative parties form a coalition government from 1957 to 1974?

The Liberal and Conservative parties formed the National Front coalition to restore democratic stability and end the period of intense political violence known as La Violencia.

Following the 1953 military coup that ousted the authoritarian regime of Laureano Gómez, the subsequent populist government of Gustavo Rojas Pinilla eventually lost support due to economic instability and his reluctance to relinquish power. After a military junta drove him from office in 1957, leaders from the Liberal and Conservative parties—Alberto Lleras Camargo and Gómez—negotiated the Declaration of Sitges.

This agreement established a 16-year power-sharing arrangement designed to pacify the country by:
* Alternating the presidency between the two parties every four years.
* Mandating an equal distribution of ministerial and government positions.
* Ensuring equal representation across all executive and legislative bodies.

This coalition successfully ended the immediate cycle of partisan violence, though it was later criticized for creating a political monopoly that excluded other interest groups.12