Colombian Elections Capture Fraught Past, And Present Ideologies

A supporters of Ivan Duque, presidential candidate for Democratic Center party, waves a Colombian flag during a campaign rally in Soacha, in the outskirts of Bogota, Colombia, Saturday, May 12, 2018.
A supporters of Ivan Duque, presidential candidate for Democratic Center party, waves a Colombian flag during a campaign rally in Soacha, in the outskirts of Bogota, Colombia, Saturday, May 12, 2018. Fernando Vergara / AP Photo
A supporters of Ivan Duque, presidential candidate for Democratic Center party, waves a Colombian flag during a campaign rally in Soacha, in the outskirts of Bogota, Colombia, Saturday, May 12, 2018.
A supporters of Ivan Duque, presidential candidate for Democratic Center party, waves a Colombian flag during a campaign rally in Soacha, in the outskirts of Bogota, Colombia, Saturday, May 12, 2018. Fernando Vergara / AP Photo

Colombian Elections Capture Fraught Past, And Present Ideologies

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The National Liberation Army, one of the last remaining left-wing militant groups in Colombia, announced they would cease military activities to allow Colombians to vote in the country’s general elections on May 27. The front-runner is right-wing politician Ivan Duque, a member of ex-president Alvaro Uribe’s party. Uribe is now facing murder accusations. Juan Manuel Santos, the incumbent who won a Nobel Peace Prize for negotiating peace with another militia, the FARC, last year, is very low in the polls.

To discuss, Worldview is joined by Adam Isacson, senior associate for regional security policy at the Washington Office on Latin America.