Hot Topic: Third presidential re-election?

A hot topic right now in Colombia is the possibility of a third re-election of Alvaro Uribe Velez. Why so hot? Two years ago a re-election wasn’t even possible. Colombian constitution stated that a president could only serve one term- a total of four years.

Alvaro Uribe has had great success and great controversy among Colombians. From the beginning, being linked to the paramilitaries due to his work with rural farmers unions. With a strong military stance, Uribe transformed Colombia in four years. From times when we couldn’t even travel from city to city by car- the point that now Colombian’s can enjoy what many take for granted- a 2 hour road trip the next city over.

With military presence, has come a lot of safety, but also a lot of fear. Is fighting war with war the answer? For immediate relief it was. Many Colombians lived in fear of being kidnapped, bombed, or otherwise threatened by the powerful Guerilla groups (FARC, ELN).

After four years of military reform- many hoped for a continuation of his presidency, to the point that the country voted for a referendum to the constitution, to allow for a re-election. It passed.

Now two years in, many are talking about the possibility of a third term- unheard of a few years ago. Yet even though it is being proposed, a large percentage smell dictatorship in the air. Ah yes, dictatorship, something rather common in the history of Latin American countries. What are older generations saying? All for it- as witnesses of Colombia’s changes through time, they’ve never seen the country this safe in over 50 years.

In the next few days a vote will take place in order to determine whether Alvaro Uribe Velez will be the first Colombian president with over 12 years in service. Having survived hundreds of murder attempts already, Uribe may have a long way to go.