Subscribe free to our newsletters via your
. Earth Science News .




DEMOCRACY
Colombians elect president as peace talks at stake
by Staff Writers
Bogota (AFP) May 25, 2014


Oscar Zuluaga.

Colombians voted Sunday in a crucial presidential election for the fate of the government's peace talks with Marxist guerrillas to end a half-century-old conflict.

The election pitted President Juan Manuel Santos, seeking a second four-year term after launching the peace talks in 2012, against main rival Oscar Zuluaga, who has vowed to take a harder line against rebels.

As he cast his vote in Bogota, Santos said the election "strengthens our democracy, our institutions and regardless of the winner we will continue on the right track towards peace."

Zuluaga, who voted in northern Bogota, said voters were choosing "what kind of country we want."

Amid a field of five candidates, the two rivals were running neck-and-neck in opinion polls leading up to the election, after a late surge by Zuluaga. A likely run-off will be held on June 15.

Voting concluded at 4:00 pm (2100 GMT) and around 90 percent of the results should be known within four hours of polls closing, according to election officials.

Defense Minister Juan Carlos Pinzon said it was the "safest election day in recent history."

Monitors from the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) said the election was carried out "absolutely normally."

- Allies turned rivals -

Santos and Zuluaga were once cabinet colleagues under former conservative president Alvaro Uribe (2002-2010), but are now bitter rivals and have clashed repeatedly in a campaign marred by espionage and corruption allegations.

Santos, 62, worked as defense minister under Uribe, whose aggressive military campaign led to the killings of key FARC leaders.

But Uribe, who remains popular, has thrown his weight behind Zuluaga, his former finance minister, going as far as calling Santos a traitor for negotiating with the rebels.

The former president reiterated his support for Zuluaga as he cast his vote, saying he chose the best candidate "to retrieve the path of security abandoned by the current government."

Zuluaga, 55, has called for the peace negotiations to be suspended until the rebels give up their weapons.

Santos, in power since 2010, has made ending the conflict the centerpiece of his re-election bid, campaigning on a slogan which offers voters a stark choice: "War or Peace."

The contrasting viewpoints were evident among voters.

"We need a peace accord," said 20-year-old student Maria Paula Erazo.

That way the government could "invest in Colombia's other problems, like health and education," she said.

But one Zuluaga supporter said his candidate would ensure there was "peace without impunity, not what Santos has done.

"His betrayal of the previous government is unforgivable," said Henry Gallan, a 58-year-old seller of security equipment.

The peace process, hosted by Cuba, seeks to end a conflict that has killed more than 220,000 people and displaced more than five million since it erupted in 1964.

"The main issue between the two candidates is the peace process. Santos wants to finish what he started, while Zuluaga's precise intentions are unknown," said Yann Basset, a political scientist at the University of Rosario.

"It's unclear if he's going to terminate negotiations or try to continue them on different terms," Basset added.

The talks have so far led to agreements on rural reform, the participation of former guerrillas in politics and the battle against drug trafficking.

Santos has refused to call a ceasefire during the peace talks in order to keep up pressure on the guerrillas.

.


Related Links
Democracy in the 21st century at TerraDaily.com






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle




Memory Foam Mattress Review
Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily
XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News





DEMOCRACY
Pakistani premier to attend Indian PM-elect Modi's swearing-in
Islamabad (AFP) May 24, 2014
Pakistani premier Nawaz Sharif will attend Indian prime minister-elect Narendra Modi's inauguration on Monday, his office said, in an unprecedented diplomatic move aimed at mending strained ties between the nuclear-armed rivals. The Pakistani PM's attendance will be a first in the history of the South Asian neighbours, which have fought three wars since independence in 1947 and remain bitter ... read more


DEMOCRACY
US finds missing British yacht in Atlantic, but no crew

Malaysia to discuss with Inmarsat on release of "raw data"

China says Vietnam riot killed four people

Ferry and cargo ship collide in Hong Kong, 33 injured

DEMOCRACY
New method for propulsion in fluids

MIPT Experts Reveal the Secret of Radiation Vulnerability

Physicists say they know how to turn light into matter

Russian space agency to create equipment for monitoring space debris

DEMOCRACY
Australian environmentalists welcome bank wariness on reef port

Bottom trawling causes deep-sea biological desertification

Better science for better fisheries management

The Role of the 'Silent Killer' inside Deep-diving Animals

DEMOCRACY
Antarctica's ice losses on the rise

WTO rejects Canada, Norway appeal against EU seal import ban

Nepal glaciers shrink by quarter in 30 years: scientist

Hidden Greenland Canyons Mean More Sea Level Rise

DEMOCRACY
China Bright Food to buy majority stake in Israel's Tnuva

Shrub growth decreases as winter temps warm up

The Added Value of Local Food Hubs

Big drop in wintertime fog needed by fruit and nut crops

DEMOCRACY
Hundreds wounded as strong quake sparks panic in Turkey

Amanda strengthens to become season's first hurricane

Massive clean-up in Balkans after flood of the century

Deadly floods recede to reveal Balkan desolation

DEMOCRACY
UN Council seeks tighter Somali control of weapons

Northern Mali rebels agree to ceasefire: diplomat

US troops deploy to Chad in hunt for Nigerian girls

S.Africa elephant park accused of 'horrific' cruelty

DEMOCRACY
Preschool teacher depression linked to behavioral problems in children

US military opens door to gender treatment for Manning

Longevity gene may boost brain power

Rocks lining Peruvian desert pointed to ancient fairgrounds




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2014 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement All images and articles appearing on Space Media Network have been edited or digitally altered in some way. Any requests to remove copyright material will be acted upon in a timely and appropriate manner. Any attempt to extort money from Space Media Network will be ignored and reported to Australian Law Enforcement Agencies as a potential case of financial fraud involving the use of a telephonic carriage device or postal service.