The Path Ahead for Colombia's President-Elect
The Path Ahead for Colombia's President-Elect
Juan Manuel Santos enters office on August 7 with a strong mandate that should help him tackle key socioeconomic issues.
Even before he starts his presidential term in August, Colombia’s president-elect, Juan Manuel Santos, has already broken records.
A scion of Colombia’s establishment, Santos pulled in just over 9 million votes, winning 69 percent of the vote against the 27 percent secured by his rival, Antanus Mockus. Santos’ victory is the highest percentage of votes secured by a presidential candidate in Colombia’s history.
The political alliances Santos has already made with the main right-wing Partido Conservador Colombiano and Cambio Radical parties and leading Partido Liberal Colombiano members, will give him a resounding majority, around 80 percent, in Colombia’s Congress and Senate. That is a stronger mandate than the popular and outgoing President Álvaro Uribe had.
The architect of crushing blows against the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC) rebels and audacious hostage rescues during the Uribe government, Santos is also considered by many to have been the country’s most prolific defense minister.
For those close to Santos, these achievements come as little surprise for a man who has been grooming himself for the top job since his youth. His love of politics was fuelled during his time as a graduate student in London, where he would visit the British parliament and listen for hours to the live debates.
By electing Santos, Colombians voted resoundingly for continuity. Santos has vowed to continue the Uribe government’s hallmark Democratic Security policy, which has weakened the FARC insurgency, improved security and led to a five-fold increase in foreign investment.
This was the least violent elections in four decades. But still nine policemen and soldiers were killed in clashes with leftwing rebels, a reminder that the waning insurgency is still a security threat and a government priority.
Read the full text of this web exclusive at www.AmericasQuarterly.org.
Anastasia Moloney is a freelance journalist based in Bogotá, a contributor to the Financial Times and a contributing editor at the Washington, DC-based website World Politics Review.
