COLOMBIA
Unpopular Peace
Lauded by the international press, Colombia’s peace deal with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, proved damaging to President Juan Manuel Santos’ ruling coalition in congressional elections this weekend – raising questions about the pact’s future and also presidential polls slated for May.
The opposition Democratic Center party led by former President Alvaro Uribe will become the largest bloc in the Senate, the Associated Press reported. Meanwhile, Santos’ Party of National Unity – which previously held that honor – finished fifth in this go-around.
Fighting at the ballot box for the first time, FARC won less than 0.5 percent of the overall vote, so the erstwhile revolutionaries will get only the 10 seats guaranteed them by the peace accord.
The results will put pressure on candidates who supported the peace deal to join forces in the upcoming presidential polls, with the race still “wide open,” the paper said.
The current front-runner is Uribe’s handpicked candidate, Sen. Ivan Duque. But an analyst from the political consultancy Control Risks said it’s too early to predict the victor.
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