On March 12, 2006, Colombia elected a new Congress consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The elections themselves revolved around several issues. The people were as concerned about the high popularity of President Uribe and the fate of the Liberal Party, which was impaired by uribismo, as they were about the future development of the traditional two-party system, the growing strength of the Left, the transparency of the coming election campaign, and the elections themselves.