Colombian election results Uribe's party and conservative party winning

[Bacchus39]

various stories http://www.elespectador.com semana.com eltiempo.com

[Wilms]

1. A little background:

Colombians begin to vote for change

Sunday 14 March 2010

by Paul Haste

NEW BEGINNING: Colombians are hoping that the result of the election will bring about change

snip

And more than 80 members of Congress - most of them the president's supporters - have been investigated for links to the far-right paramilitaries responsible for forcibly displacing millions of peasant workers and for the assassination or disappearance of thousands of worker and union activists.

But rights activist and left Polo Democratico (PD) candidate for Congress Ivan Cepeda emphasised that the paramilitaries, coquettishly referred to by Colombia's media as "re-emerging illegal-armed groups," still control barrios in Bogota "making it difficult to work politically and campaign there."

And PD presidential candidate Gustavo Petro pointed out that, while 12 members of Congress had already been jailed, others were stepping down so that family members could stand as candidates in their place.

"The drug cartels and the paras have already invested a lot of money to get their candidates into Congress," he asserted.

snip

Many of the five million Colombians displaced or dispossessed by the violence of the paramilitaries and remnants of left-wing guerrilla groups are unable to vote in the elections due to the loss of identity cards and land registration papers, leaving the way clear for many scandal hit politicians - or their cousins - to be re-elected.

snip

http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/index.php/news/content/view/full/87927

[Bacchus39]

2. Polo, the FARC party, is doing poorly n/t

s

[naaman fletcher]

3. another country..

that should just tell the US to fark off, and legalize drugs.

[protocol rv]

4. Looks like the Colombian left isn't too popular

No wonder the FARC are doing so poorly.

[Bacchus39]

5. I think the Green Party did fairly well

that was the party of Ingrid Betancourt. she is probably the one leftist leaning politician that may have a chance. but I imagine she wants to live another decade or so before returning to Colombia.

but the Polo "FARC" "Chavez" party is nowhere. a leftist is never going to win in Colombia if they are even remotely associated with the FARC.