‘Uribistas’ to expand power in Colombia’s Congress: poll

(Image: 360 Radio)

The political party of former President Alvaro Uribe is set to expand its power in Congress after next week’s legislative elections, according to the latest poll.

The electoral gain will come at the expense of the governing coalition of outgoing President Juan Manuel Santos, the poll by Guaramos, EcoAnalitica and Conceptos Economicos calculated.

The three companies measured voter intention of more than 7,000 people, of which less than half said they would vote. The pollster coalition is new. Its reliability has not yet been tested.

A little more than 16% told the pollsters they would cast a blank vote, while another 14.7% said they yet had to make a choice.

The incoming president, who is expected to get elected in a second election round in June, will be dealing with a more fractures Congress.

The U Party, currently the largest party in the Senate, is expected to be decimated.

The congressional powerhouses that controlled congress in the 20th century, the Liberal Party and the Conservative Party, would continue their decline in Congress.

The anti-corruption Green Alliance under the leadership of former Bogota Mayor Antanas Mockus is expected to increase its congressional representation.

The FARC, the political party founded by demobilized guerrillas last year, is unlikely to obtain a seat on top of the 10 seats, an equivalent to 3%, they were granted as part of a peace deal with Santos.

The elections will be held on March 11. The new Congress will take force on August 7.

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