This election is unique because it is the first time that the Liberal and Conservative parties have lost the power of the Colombian presidency since the great civil troubles of the 1950s to early 1960s led to a revolving Presidential power sharing between those 2 parties. It is fair enough proof to me that the Colombian electorate is tired of the Marxist rebels and wants them eradicated.
I first saw this on BBC last night where the BBC was making a big deal about how the new president would have to reel in the rightist paramilitaries as well like they were just as big a problem as the leftist insurgents. Horsehockey! The paras exist mainly to provide an insurgency free zone for the ranchers who have the means to defend themselves...particularly in the Upper Magdalena and Cauca valleys.
It is only in the minds of a pin-headed socialist NGO type (read Lori Berenson) - that the paramilitaries are equated with the FARC and FALN. The latter are truly nothing but land pirates that kidnap, murder and destroy for profit. They have no sympathy from the local populace, not the man on the street, nor the typical man in the field. They've cornered the drug market and use that money to finance more mayhem. They don't build, improve or provide anything to improve the lives of Colombians, rich or poor.
The paramilitaries, on the other hand, are directly in the employ of wealthy landowners and ranchers that are fed up with the inability of the Colombian government (which spends a ridiculously low percent of GNP on the military) to at least keep the FARC at bay. And they are very effective. If you travel to Colombia - you have no worries if you travel in paramilitary country. But you're an idiot if you go into FARC country.