Colombia Presidential Frontrunner Changes His Mind on Peace Talks With Guerrillas
For a while, it appeared that upcoming presidential elections in Colombia would be a referendum on the country’s decades-long battle against Marxist guerrillas.
The incumbent, President Juan Manuel Santos, is engaged in some of the most extensive peace talks to date with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), a group that has perpetrated kidnappings and acts of violence since its inception in the 1960s, and which is now steeped in the illegal drug trade.
A more conservative challenger, however — economist Oscar Ivan Zuluaga — had been advocating for a tougher approach to terrorism, saying he would scrap the peace negotiations altogether.
On Wednesday, though, Zuluaga reversed course, agreeing to “continue conversations” with the FARC if he is elected president.
The move could be less of a genuine change of heart and more of a clever political tactic.
The first round of presidential voting took place on May 25. Zuluaga scored a surprising win, narrowly defeating Santos. Since neither candidate received more than 50 percent of the vote, the pair will now face one another in a June 15 runoff election.
Santos has campaigned hard on the peace talks. In TV commercials and in speeches, the president has repeatedly asked Colombians to vote for him so that he can finish off negotiations with the guerrillas, which began 18 months ago. If successful, the talks would end half a century of conflict between the rebels and Colombian government.
The outcome of the negotiations matter to the United States, as well. A peace accord in Colombia could mean new investment opportunities for U.S. companies, especially those that work in areas like oil exploration and mining, and have so far had a cautious approach to Colombia due to the risk of working in conflict zones.
On Thursday, Santos accused Zuluaga of changing his stance on the talks just to broaden his base of voters. According to recent polls, some 40 percent of Colombians support the peace talks.