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*Quick note on Colombian elections* Colombia has just elected Ivan Duque president. This should come as no surprise to anyone who pays attention to Colombia (even though it does seem to surprise the reporters at the Nation magazine https://www.thenation.com/article/right-wing-wins-colombia-amid-divisions-left/). Duque, like outgoing President Juan Manuel Santos is the scion of one of the country’s powerful political families. His father, Ivan Duque Escobar, was one of the most powerful 20th century Liberal Party politicians of Antioquia. In the 1980’s, when Alvaro Uribe was mayor of Medellín, Duque’s father was governor of Antioquia. Medellin is the capital of Antioquia and the second largest city in Colombia. Another important friend of the two men at the time was Pablo Escobar. The younger Duque grew up surrounded by the politically powerful in Bogotá. His father graduated to become the Minister of Mines and Development and served as CEO of the municipally owned water company of Bogotá, SOFASA (Renault manufacturing subsidiary), and Banco Popular. He also served on the board of directors of the Banco de la Republica, the country’s central bank. Duque’s mother also came from a politically important family. Duque’s roots in the Liberal Party of Antioquia, plus a lifetime spent making connections in the high society of Bogotá boosted him into the Senate where he quickly became known as a friend of big business. He was the key ally of the sugar and soft drink industries’ successful campaign to squash the Minister of Health’s public education campaign against obesity. From there, it was a hop, skip and a jump to becoming Alvaro Uribe’s chosen successor. The Uribista coalition has been in perpetual crisis. Aside from the number of its leading figures who have fled into exile to avoid prosecution or been convicted and served time in jail, the Uribistas are very short on talent. During the last presidential election they had a field of primary candidates who could barely compose sentences while standing on two feet. Their eventual nominee, Ivan Zuluaga was a case in point. One Uribista who could talk and think on his feet was Andrés Felipe Arias Leiva. He was Uribe’s chosen successor eight years ago. Known as Uribito, he was Uribe’s Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development. Unfortunately for Uribe’s plans, Uribito was sentenced to 17 years and 4 months of prison for corruption. He fled to the United States where he now lives comfortably and anonymously. Duque is the new Uribito, but under new circumstances. The demobilization of the FARC ended a whole period of history in Colombia, even though guerrilla warfare continues. The ELN is expanding into some of the areas which were once controlled by the FARC, but it is numerically weak and has no popular support. Guerrillaism in fact, has no popular support. Instead a broad, but not cohesive, social democratic movement has risen in its place. Gustavo Petro personified it in the recent elections. While much is made of Petro’s background in M-19, he is a man whose politics are very flexible but tend more towards the ideas of 19th century French radicalism with a hint of environmentalism mixed in than to anything anyone would associate with the Paris commune or the Bogotazo. Nevertheless, Petro is a fighter. His eight million votes represent the largest mass left wing movement ever seen in Colombia. It has two basic wings: a movement of the working class and the very poor displaced people of the cities of Colombia, and a movement of the university trained technocrats, bureaucrats, and intelligentsia of the same cities. Petro is the titular leader of the former while Sergio Fajardo, former mayor of Medellín is the titular leader of the latter. Duque’s speeches were full of bland, empty posturing attempting to appeal to Fajardo’s base. He promised not to return to war and even promised to protect the environment. Behind the empty phrases, Duque has already launched a lottery for Ministries. Corruption even bigger than usual is the guiding theme of the new government. The great danger now is further revival of the paramilitaries. The old paramilitary organizations have been demobilized and remodeled. During the election campaign and now after the elections, the new paramilitary organization, the Aguilas Negras (Black Eagles), closely tied to the Medellín oligarchy and to the cocaine trade, has threatened Petro supporters with assassination. According to Indepaz (Instituto de Estudios para el Desarrollo y la Paz – Institute for Studies of Development and Peace), between January and May this year there were 78 assassinations of social leaders and human rights activists in Colombia. Anthony _________________________________________________________ Full posting guidelines at: http://www.marxmail.org/sub.htm Set your options at: http://lists.csbs.utah.edu/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
