Conservative Win Likely in Upcoming Colombian Presidential Elections

Colombia is preparing to hold presidential elections on May 30. Two-term conservative president Álvaro Uribe will not be on the ballot. On February 26, the country's Supreme Court ruled against a proposed public referendum that may have allowed the widely popular President Uribe to run for a third term. Mr. Uribe has been a close ally of the United States in combating illegal drug smuggling in Latin America and has been viewed as successful in his battle against the leftist rebel group known as the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). In yesterday's Congressional elections in Colombia, a coalition of three political parties allied with Mr. Uribe is believed to have held control of both the Senate and the House of Representatives. The elections are seen as a bellwether of the upcoming presidential elections, for which former Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos of Mr. Uribe's National Unity Party is considered the front runner.

Mr. Uribe visited Tegucigalpa on January 30 and signed cooperation agreements with President Porfirio Lobo in the areas of agriculture, security, and trade. In February, Colombia began providing material support to Honduras to fight drug trafficking. The election of Mr. Santos would all but ensure a continuation of the new Colombia-Honduras alliance. (3/15/10) (photo of Juan Manuel Santos courtesy Internet)