President Juan Manuel Santos on Sunday promised to improve education, healthcare and unemployment at one of his first public campaign rallies in the north of Colombia.
Fifteen thousand people gathered at a local baseball stadium in the Caribbean city of Barranquilla to hear the current president’s pledges.
During his speech, Santos committed to wide range of plans, including not only the creation of 2.5 million jobs but also a ten-year plan to end extreme poverty, should he win re-election as Colombia’s president.
Santos’ other plans included an improved health system, a water sanitation program and to make Colombia the most educated country in Latin America by 2025.
Newspaper El Espectador reported that Santos also promised to “hand the keys to Barranquilla to connect with the country and the world” by completing an infrastructure project of the Magdalena river that runs through the Caribbean region.
Santos’ vice-president, running mate German Vargas joined the president at the event claiming that these projects would “help achieve a definitive leap in the progress of economic growth and employment generation,” for the people of Barranquilla.
The president said ” They are big goals. They are ambitious goals. They are difficult goals. But we need do it because we have to think big, because we have to have ambitious dreams, because together we can achieve a lot.”
Elections for Colombia’s highest seat in office take place on May 25, in which Santos will compete with four other candidates.
MORE: Colombia 2014 presidential election candidates
Santos, who is leading the race with a comfortable margin in the polls, will have to face a run-off in a second round if he fails to obtain more than 50% of the votes in the initial round.
The president got elected first in 2010, but is aiming for a second term during which he hopes to complete ongoing peace talks with rebel groups FARC.
Barranquilla, Atlantico
Sources
- El Presidente y Candidato, Juan Manuel Santos, anuncia ambiciosas metas para el próximo cuatrienio (Santos campaign website)
- Vargas Lleras renueva compromiso para que Región Caribe dé un salto hacia el progreso (Santos campaign website)
- Plan de inversiones para la Región Caribe, anuncia Juan Manuel Santos (El Espectador)