Presidential elections were held in the United States of Colombia in 1871 and 1872. The result was a victory for Manuel Murillo Toro of the Liberal Party.[1]
The 1863 constitution changed the electoral system from a direct vote to an indirect vote. The President was now elected on the basis of which candidate received the most votes in each state, with a candidate required to win in at least five of the nine states to be elected. If no candidate received a majority, Congress would elect the President from the main contenders.[2]
| Candidate | Party | States won | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| bgcolor= | Manuel Murillo Toro | Liberal Party | 6 | |
| bgcolor= | Manuel María Mallarino | Conservative Party | 2 | |
| bgcolor= | Julián Trujillo Largacha | Liberal Party | 1 | |
| align=left colspan=3 | Total | 9 | ||
| align=left colspan=4 | Source: PDBA | |||