Posted on 05/29/2006 6:42:53 PM PDT by Murtyo
BOGOTA: Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, an ally of US President George W.Bush, has won a second term, thwarting the plan of populist left-wing Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez to spread revolution throughout Latin America.
The 53-year-old lawyer, trained in the US and Britain, secured just over 62per cent of the vote and a lead of 40 points over his closest rival, left-wing senator Carlos Gaviria.
Mr Uribe must now fullfil a pledge to wrest control of Colombia from drug traffickers and leftist guerillas, while dispelling concerns he may abuse his powerful mandate.
The victory marked the first re-election by a Colombian incumbent in more than a century, after congress last year approved a constitutional amendment allowing Washington's staunchest ally in Latin America to seek a second term.
Mr Uribe's win ends a series of election triumphs by left-wing candidates across South America, which now has left-leaning governments in Venezuela, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Argentina and Uruguay.
A yoga-practising workaholic, Mr Uribe has gained popularity for battling crime and drug-funded insurgencies but has faced strong criticism for failing to act to redress social problems in a country where almost half the 41 million population live in dire poverty.
Under the Harvard and Oxford-trained President, the economy grew by 5 per cent last year, helping to cut unemployment by a third.
A foe of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, who killed his father, Mr Uribe has survived several assassination attempts since taking office in 2002, and ordered massive security for the election.
The national poll saw the rise of Senator Gaviria, who received 22 per cent of the votes.
Senator Gaviria's strong showing at the ballot box - a record for the Left in this conservative country - confirms the growing strength of the progressive side of politics, which quadrupled its vote from the previous election.
With a brutal campaign behind him, the key challenges facing the new leader will be those that have dominated life for decades: poverty, civil war and drug trafficking.
Colombia is the world's largest cocaine producer, and Mr Uribe is a key US ally in the "war on drugs". He can probably count on a supportive congress after legislative elections in March gave pro-Uribe parties control of 70 of the senate's 102 seats.
A friendly congress will be crucial for what many predict will be a round of budget cuts following the doubling of military spending and 25per cent increase in troop strength during Mr Uribe's first presidency.
He will also have to complete the demobilisation of the 30,000 far-right paramilitary militias, as evidence mounts that some of the fighters have rearmed.
Human rights groups and foreign diplomats have criticised the Government for being too lenient with the paramilitaries, many of whom were offered an amnesty despite their atrocities.
Mr Uribe conceded recently that he understood these complaints, calling the concessions "the cost of peace".
Militarily, the Government will focus efforts on defeating FARC, Latin America's oldest and best-equipped guerilla force.
An unprecedented offensive against FARC during Mr Uribe's first term forced the rebels to retreat into the jungle, but failed to catch the leaders.
Outside of Colombia, Mr Uribe's allies in Washington will judge his second term primarily on how successful he is in stamping out the country's massive illegal drugs trade.
It's "Colombia" with an "O"!!!
Good. Up yours, Chavez!
"why isn't this getting similar coverage to the election of a leftist in Bolivia??"
Because it does not serve the political Left. Most of the MSMs have long ago abandoned any charade of impartial reportings. They don't even attempt to cover events honestly these days. I feel that a quip from the Chinese about the official Chinese media rings true for most Western MSMs as well: "Apart from the name of the newspaper and the date of publication, nothing is true."
It was spelled with an O when I lived there.
Lots of people make the spelling mistake.
A nice piece of news to start our week!
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