Low turnout expected in Colombian elections (Sunday)

[Judi Lynn]

Source: RT

Low turnout expected in Colombian elections
Published 19 June, 2010, 03:02
Edited 19 June, 2010, 06:17


Presidential elections are set to take place in Colombia this Sunday. Former Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos is set defeat incumbent President Álvaro Uribe.

Many expect voter turnout to be low, in part because of the World Cup. Many also feel the election is already decided and see no reason to vote. It is expected that about 60% of Colombians will not show up at the polls.

Santos has been accused of having links to election contractors, violating human rights and of being involved in the killing of civilians by the Colombian army.

Santos is expected to be a very right wing president and will likely win easily. In addition, Santos is the preferred candidate of the United States and the Obama administration. Santos supports US military expansion in South America, including placing bases in Colombia to fight terrorism and the US War on Drugs.

Read more: http://rt.com/Politics/2010-06-19/columbian-elections-take-place.html

[arcos]

1. Who the fuck wrote that article? Uribe isn't running!

And Santos is his preferred successor.

And yes, sadly turnout will be low and Santos will defeat progressive Antanas Mockus. He is not a left winger, but a centrist who is vowing to respect the law and legality, and push a cultural change for peace and education.

The loss tomorrow won't be exclusive for Colombia. It will be a big loss for progressives and democrats in Latin America, Mockus would have been an incredible regional leader.

[Judi Lynn]

2. Juan Manuel Santos, Colombia Presidential Candidate, Oversaw The Company Managing Elections

Juan Manuel Santos, Colombia Presidential Candidate, Oversaw The Company Managing Elections
Special to the Huffington Post Investigative Fund | Nadja Drost
First Posted: 06-18-10 06:17 PM | Updated: 06-18-10 06:18 PM

BOGOTÁ, Colombia - The man most likely to become Colombia's next president this Sunday has played a previously undisclosed role as a corporate officer of the company hired to run the nation's elections over the last decade, while he was a political leader, business records obtained by the Huffington Post Investigative Fund show.

The role of Juan Manuel Santos - a former defense minister in the government of current president Alvaro Uribe and a scion of one of the nation's most powerful families - is not widely known in the South American country, where his family controls some of the leading news organizations and there are reports of voting irregularities.

Riding on Uribe's coattails and backed by the massive political machine of Uribe's party, known simply as "U," Santos is 39 points ahead in polls over Green Party candidate Antanas Mockus, a mathematician and former Bogotá mayor who vows to banish the nation's rampant corruption and cronyism.

That has prompted Santos to counter with his own messages about fighting corruption - and to insist on transparent politics in his own campaign. "I have the most radical and convincing proposal against corruption," Santos told reporters, adding he plans on creating special investigative units to tackle corruption.

But documents obtained from Colombia's Camera de Comercio - the private national Chamber of Commerce - raise questions about a possible conflict of interest and show that he may not be so committed to transparency as it seems. The documents listing the board's membership made clear that he sat for several years on the board of directors of a securities firm that manages election logistics- from printing voting cards to transporting stuffed ballot boxes - while at the same time heading Uribe's "U" political party.

Santos' campaign did not respond to a request for comment for this story.

Some Colombians contacted for this story are troubled by Santos' mix of the elections business and politics. "None of the candidates who are vying for the presidency should have had relationships with a company carrying out elections," said Alejandra Barrios, director of the Electoral Observation Mission, a watchdog agency. "This kind of relationship should have been disclosed for the sake of transparency."

More:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/06/18/juan-manuel-santos-colombia-election_n_617966.html