Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos on Sunday hailed the outcome of Sunday’s local elections as a demonstration that “Colombia wants peace.”
Politicians loyal to the coalition of political parties that support Santos in Congress, won the majority of governor and mayor offices.
Santos’ main political ally, former President Alvaro Uribe, failed to establish his new party, the Democratic Center, in the top offices of any of Colombia’s most important provinces and cities.
Even in his home province of Antioquia, Uribe’s party lost to Santos loyalists in spite of broad support for Uribe’s criticism on ongoing peace talks with leftist FARC rebels.
“I celebrate the good results of the parties that make up the government coalition. Its triumph was overwhelming, which confirms that the Colombian people want peace and want to continue generating prosperity for all,” Santos said.
The president reminded Colombians that his administration hopes to achieve peace with the FARC within 148 days.
If Santos and the FARC are able to negotiate an end to more than 50 years of armed conflict, a large part of the execution of this peace deal would fall under the responsibility of mayors and governors, especially in areas where the FARC has a lot of fighters.
According to Santos, the newly elected local and regional leaders “will be responsible for the transition of a country at war to a country in peace.”