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New Bogota Mayor Says He'll Work for Poor
By ANDREW SELSKY, Associated Press Writer
BOGOTA, Colombia - Mayor-elect Luis Eduardo Garzon pledged Monday to work for Bogota's poor after becoming the first leftist to win the top office in Colombia's capital — a victory that represented a political setback for the violent campaign of Marxist guerrillas
By ANDREW SELSKY, Associated Press Writer
BOGOTA, Colombia - Mayor-elect Luis Eduardo Garzon pledged Monday to work for Bogota's poor after becoming the first leftist to win the top office in Colombia's capital — a victory that represented a political setback for the violent campaign of Marxist guerrillas
Might also be interesting to note that Garzon himself describes his proposal as non-confrotational "center-left", even if he does intend to help remedy the grave social situation in Bogotá, he's not going to turn everything done by the past 2 local administrations upside down...that sure got him a lot of moderate votes too.
Garzon, the former head of Colombia's biggest labor federation and an ex-communist, declared after his historic win Sunday that his first day in office — Jan. 2 — would be "a day without hunger," indicating a mass distribution of free food.
The beefy 55-year-old, who eschews ties in favor of turtlenecks and sport jackets, said he would help the poor — about half of the capital's 7 million residents — but he did not intend to forget about the rich, or foment class divisions.
"No one should fear this mayor," said Garzon, the son of a maid who once worked as a golf caddie, adding that he did not intend to pit "the rich against the poor."
Leftists hailed the ascendance of Garzon, who is known as "Lucho," to the high-profile office as a new political era in Colombia, which has been torn by four decades of guerrilla warfare. The electoral victory represents an alternative to the violent struggle of the leftist rebels.
The country's main rebel group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces in Colombia, known as the FARC, launched a political party in the 1980s called the Patriotic Union. But most of its leaders were assassinated by right-wing death squads, prompting the FARC to conclude that the only way for leftist radicals to gain power was through violent overthrow.
The beefy 55-year-old, who eschews ties in favor of turtlenecks and sport jackets, said he would help the poor — about half of the capital's 7 million residents — but he did not intend to forget about the rich, or foment class divisions.
"No one should fear this mayor," said Garzon, the son of a maid who once worked as a golf caddie, adding that he did not intend to pit "the rich against the poor."
Leftists hailed the ascendance of Garzon, who is known as "Lucho," to the high-profile office as a new political era in Colombia, which has been torn by four decades of guerrilla warfare. The electoral victory represents an alternative to the violent struggle of the leftist rebels.
The country's main rebel group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces in Colombia, known as the FARC, launched a political party in the 1980s called the Patriotic Union. But most of its leaders were assassinated by right-wing death squads, prompting the FARC to conclude that the only way for leftist radicals to gain power was through violent overthrow.
Leftists gathered in Bogota's convention center to help Garzon celebrate his win.
"I am 50 years old, and this is the first time that I am celebrating the victory of a candidate, because all the rest of them have been buried," said Carlos Rodriguez of the Colombian Commission of Jurists, a human rights group.
"This shows convincingly that the path of peaceful change is possible," Antonio Navarro Wolff, a senator who was a leader of the M-19 guerrilla group, which disarmed in 1990.
"I am 50 years old, and this is the first time that I am celebrating the victory of a candidate, because all the rest of them have been buried," said Carlos Rodriguez of the Colombian Commission of Jurists, a human rights group.
"This shows convincingly that the path of peaceful change is possible," Antonio Navarro Wolff, a senator who was a leader of the M-19 guerrilla group, which disarmed in 1990.
The left also scored an important victory in the southern Valle province with the election of another veteran of the workers' struggle, Angelino Garzon, to the governor's office.
There was no immediate comment from the FARC.
There was no immediate comment from the FARC.
"The FARC will have to receive this triumph as a warning alert, because the political projects that favor social causes have a space in democracy," said Arturo Alape, an expert on the rebel movement and author of a biography on its founder and leader, Manuel "Sureshot" Marulanda.
Most of the assassinations of the 30 candidates during this year's election across Colombia were allegedly carried out by the FARC , which tried to undermine hard-line President Alvaro Uribe's contention that he was exerting state control across this Andean nation.[b]
Most of the assassinations of the 30 candidates during this year's election across Colombia were allegedly carried out by the FARC , which tried to undermine hard-line President Alvaro Uribe's contention that he was exerting state control across this Andean nation.[b]
The rebels' right-wing paramilitary foes are also suspected of having killed at least two candidates and intimidating others.
Uribe, who resoundingly beat Garzon in the 2002 presidential elections, met with Garzon in the presidential palace late Sunday and said his victory helped strengthen Colombia's democracy.
Won't deny he's authoritarian though, that's evident.
In Sunday's elections, Colombians also voted for state and municipal leaders across the country.
In other closely watched races, Hugo Aguilar, a former policeman who killed drug kingpin Pablo Escobar in a rooftop shootout in Medellin in 1993, won the race for governor of the central Colombian province of Santander, pledging to root out corruption and fight terrorism.
One of the election's biggest upsets came in Medellin's mayoral race, where the right-wing pre-election favorite lost to an independent with no political experience who was popular with indigenous groups.
In other closely watched races, Hugo Aguilar, a former policeman who killed drug kingpin Pablo Escobar in a rooftop shootout in Medellin in 1993, won the race for governor of the central Colombian province of Santander, pledging to root out corruption and fight terrorism.
One of the election's biggest upsets came in Medellin's mayoral race, where the right-wing pre-election favorite lost to an independent with no political experience who was popular with indigenous groups.
About the Referendum which was mostly defeated Saturday, though the final results will determine whether some questions are valid or not....
Referendum failure deals blow to Uribe
With ballots counted from almost 98 per cent of polling stations, one key question, which asked whether state pensions and public sector salaries should be frozen, required fewer than 90,000 "Yes" votes to win approval. But by midday on Monday, all 15 points posited in the referendum had failed to attract the necessary 6.3m votes, or 25 per cent of the electorate.
The referendum's poor voter turnout represents a notable political defeat for Alvaro Uribe, Colombia's president, who had personally promoted the ballot as a make-or-break plebiscite backing his right-leaning policies.
With ballots counted from almost 98 per cent of polling stations, one key question, which asked whether state pensions and public sector salaries should be frozen, required fewer than 90,000 "Yes" votes to win approval. But by midday on Monday, all 15 points posited in the referendum had failed to attract the necessary 6.3m votes, or 25 per cent of the electorate.
The referendum's poor voter turnout represents a notable political defeat for Alvaro Uribe, Colombia's president, who had personally promoted the ballot as a make-or-break plebiscite backing his right-leaning policies.
And as said before, a couple of questions may still likely pass...
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Analysts said the damage may be more symbolic at the political level, but would echo most immediately on the economic front.
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Mr Uribe had hoped the referendum would give him a firm mandate to slash government spending, by introducing measures such as a two-year freeze on public sector wages and a cap on state pensions.
"The situation also does not look good from the perspective of failing to secure much-needed income and fiscal savings going forward," Mr de la Fuente added.
Colombia has targeted a fiscal deficit of 2.8 per cent of gross domestic product in 2003, and 2.5 per cent next year, but this assumed approval of the spending cuts.
A mission from the International Monetary Fund (news - web sites) is due to visit Colombia at the end of the week.
Analysts said the damage may be more symbolic at the political level, but would echo most immediately on the economic front.
...
Mr Uribe had hoped the referendum would give him a firm mandate to slash government spending, by introducing measures such as a two-year freeze on public sector wages and a cap on state pensions.
"The situation also does not look good from the perspective of failing to secure much-needed income and fiscal savings going forward," Mr de la Fuente added.
Colombia has targeted a fiscal deficit of 2.8 per cent of gross domestic product in 2003, and 2.5 per cent next year, but this assumed approval of the spending cuts.
A mission from the International Monetary Fund (news - web sites) is due to visit Colombia at the end of the week.
Mauricio Cárdenas, director of Fedesarrollo, a Bogotá-based think-tank, said that if the wage freeze was not approved, the government would likely have to pay retroactively wages frozen earlier this year in anticipation of the referendum. A retroactive pay-out would lead the fiscal deficit this year to jump from 2.8 per cent of GDP (news - web sites) to about 4 per cent, according to Mr Cárdenas.
Meanwhile, economists say that an inevitable tax reform package, likely to be announced this week by the government, will include an increase in value added tax to 10 per cent from the current 7 per cent.
Other measures could entail decrees freezing spending in certain areas, as well as the issue of compulsory-purchase "war bonds" in the domestic market.
A spokesman for Alberto Carrasquilla, Colombia's finance minister, said no decision on alternative measures would be taken until the final result of the referendum was known.
Meanwhile, economists say that an inevitable tax reform package, likely to be announced this week by the government, will include an increase in value added tax to 10 per cent from the current 7 per cent.
Other measures could entail decrees freezing spending in certain areas, as well as the issue of compulsory-purchase "war bonds" in the domestic market.
A spokesman for Alberto Carrasquilla, Colombia's finance minister, said no decision on alternative measures would be taken until the final result of the referendum was known.
A two-fold victory for democracy indeed, but a possible financial crisis too...Anyways, that's my 2 cents, for the 0.5 people interested.
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