There is life after Uribe

After a long time of uncertainty Colombia’s Constitutional Court finally pronounced itself on the referendum which should make Álvaro Uribe’s second reelection possible. It was banned. Many things were wrong and inconstitutional, but I don’t want to elaborate on that here. I would like to express my view on Colombia’s future.

Juan Manuel Santos will run for presidency

I bet Colombia’s president Álvaro Uribe will not run for a third term and thus clears the road to ex Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos. Uribe is praising his former minister; Juan Manuel Santos distanced himself from the very impopular measures the government took to make health care more efficient, and last but not least the referendum which would have to be held to make Uribe’s reelection possible, is confronting more and more complications to be approved by the Constitutional Court.

Juan Manuel Santos

Mexico: a different reelection proposal

Interesting, Mexico’s president Felipe Calderón’s proposal for reelection. When I first heard about it from my Dutch colleague in Mexico, Jan-Albert Hootsen, I thought the Mexican president would join his colleagues Chávez, Uribe, Morales and Correa, who all changed constitution for their own reelection, but Calderón’s case is different and that is refreshing.

Chávez and Uribe, much alike

Winds of war, as they say in Spanish, between Venezuela and Colombia and we don’t know where this is going to end. Never has the situation been so delicate. One spark of fire accross the border and it’s bingo. To me as an outsider from Holland the thing keeps being unreal, this fight between two Latin caudillos who are both so attached to power.

Fujimori and Uribe

Striking the parallel between Peru’s former president Alberto Fujimori and Colombia’s president Álvaro Uribe. Fujimori – also fond of reelection – was condemned to six years of prison because of illegal wiretapping and buying votes. Those two subjects have been the main topics of political scandals in Colombia lately. Mr. Uribe hasn’t been related directly with illegal wiretapping or buying conscience of congressmembers yet. But it is improbable that he didn’t know anything about it. It was for his reelection(s?) that votes were bought and the great majority of the wiretapped are far from his friends.

Chávez is sexier than Uribe

While Colombia’s government is flipflopping to make president Uribe’s second reelection possible, Venezuela’s president Chávez is parading like a moviestar in Venice. Director Oliver Stone is fond of Chávez  and calls him a visionary. Chávez, glad that somebody supports him while his country is a mess, calls Stone a genious.

Mr. Uribe’s reelection circus

The most incredible thing that happens in Colombia these days, the reelection circus. The House of Representatives approved the referendum which is to be held to make Colombia’s president Uribe’s second reelection possible. At the moment law forbids this reelection. Votes have been bought or representatives have moved to Uribe’s coalition, probably to garantee themselves a job in the future and so with a very small majority (one vote) the government won.

Liberation of FARC hostages instead of reelection or Piedad 14

Incredible, these men have been hostages of the FARC in Colombia for years, who try to comfort their families in their survival proofs which were given to senator Piedad Córdoba in Bogotá. Some of them also express their anger because nothing is being done to get them free. All the important persons have been liberated: all the politicians and especially Íngrid Betancourt and the three Americans, for whom was organized the spectacular Operation Jaque. Everybody who was with them, was lucky, I guess.

Uribe’s moment of truth is approaching

Will Colombia’s president Álvaro Uribe run for presidency again or will he not? The moment of truth is approaching and mr. Uribe’s apparent desinterest seems to be changing into nervousness.

Hurray for Vargas Llosa

Interesting the debate Perú’s writer Mario Vargas Llosa is generating in Venezuela. Not only did he criticize president Chávez for choosing ‘the Cuban way’, also did he start a discussion about liberalism and its antisocial image.