Presidential candidate Antanas Mockus conceded defeat to Colombia’s president-elect Juan Manuel Santos and promised that his Green Party will continue to keep working for the country, saying “today we will begin to change Colombia.”
Mockus congratulated Santos on his win, and praised the government and the National Registry Office for their work on election day. The Green candidate also expressed sorrow over the seven police officers and three soldiers killed in combat against FARC and ELN guerrillas over the election weekend.
Mockus promised that his Green Party will provide a ‘thoughtful” and “independent” opposition to Santos’ government and will continue to work for the 3.5 million Colombians who voted for him and his political movement.
The former Bogota mayor added that in a short time the Greens have proved that they are a good option for government. He reminded his supporters that there are millions of Colombians in favor of the way the Greens do politics, and he will continue to work for those millions.
Mockus called on abstainers to look towards the Green Party and promised “we will continue to make Colombia a good country.”
In the Sunday’s second round presidential election Mockus, who won 27% of the vote, was beaten by Santos with 69%. Santos received 9,001,451 votes, while Mockus received 3,586,731. The Green candidate won 500,000 more votes than in the first round election.
Voter turnout was down 11% compared to the first round of the elections, with guerrilla violence, poor weather, and World Cup fever taking their toll.
Addressing his sea of supporters, Mockus thanked them for their votes and for their belief in him. He repeated his mantra “Life is sacred, public resources are sacred.”