Controversial former Colombian senator Piedad Cordoba has announced the creation of a Liberal Party faction which could split the party, reported Colombian daily El Espectador Tuesday.
According to Cordoba, the Liberal Party has lost its course and the “Gaitanista Resistance Movement” has been established to “reclaim” the correct path.
Cordoba said, “We are in resistance because we want to reclaim the ideals of the Liberal Party, reclaim the ideals of Gaitan.”
Jorge Eliecer Gaitan Ayala is one of Colombia’s most famous victims of the violence which has afflicted the country. The charismatic leader of the Liberal Party was assassinated during his 1948 campaign for the Colombian presidency, which he was widely expected to win. Gaitan was a pacifist and proponent of a left-wing agenda which rejected violent insurgency.
Cordoba has been a controversial character in Colombian politics for years. Dogged by claims of links to left-wing guerrillas, Cordoba has acted as an intermediary in peace talks and lobbied overseas to promote peace in Colombia. In 2009 she was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts in this respect, however in 2010 she was banned from holding office for 20 years based upon her alleged ties to the FARC.