The President of the Patriotic Union (UP), a far left political party, has defended rebel group FARC’s proposal to convene a national constituent assembly to endorse a potential peace accord with the government, local media reported on Monday.
The government have long rejected such a notion, and instead seek a referendum on a potential peace agreement to coincide with the 2014 congressional or presidential elections; an idea the guerrillas strongly oppose.
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“We are of the idea that the country requires a national agreement to include all political forces, so the proposal to hold a national constituent assembly seems much more viable [than a referendum which the government propose],” said Omer Calderon, President of the UP.
The UP was founded by the FARC and Colombian communist party in 1985, as part of peace negotiations held with the conservative administration at the time. The party was subject to mass violence after its inception, leading to its virtual disappearance before being formally abolished as a political party in 2002.
The UP’s legal status was restored in July and the party will run candidates in the 2014 congressional elections.
Calderon stated that his party seek talks with President Juan Manuel Santos in order to determine the conditions for their upcoming election campaign.
“That is one of our complaints and a point of contention with the state, because the conditions for the participation of the UP are not given,” explained Calderon.