COLOMBIA: Forrmer Defence Minister Juan Manuel Santos ahead in polls as he heads into the final days before Presidential runoff election

Record ID: 1525643

  • Title: COLOMBIA: Forrmer Defence Minister Juan Manuel Santos ahead in polls as he heads into the final days before Presidential runoff election
  • Date: 19th June 2010
  • Summary: BOGOTA, COLOMBIA (JUNE 18, 2010) (REUTERS) VARIOUS GENERAL VIEWS OF BOGOTA COLOMBIAN FLAG (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) COLOMBIAN VOTER, FARID GARCIA, SAYING: "For me, the best President of Colombia Dr. Uribe - and I don't believe he is only the best of Colombia, but he is the best in the world. And Santos will continue the same politics as him and so they will be the two best presidents we have had in ages." GENERAL VIEW OF BOGOTA STREET BOGOTA, COLOMBIA (RECENT - MAY 30, 2010) (REUTERS) U PARTY PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE JUAN MANUEL SANTOS ARRIVING TO VOTE MEDIA GATHERED AROUND SANTOS TO SHOOT HIM VOTING ONLOOKERS APPLAUDING SANTOS VOTING BOGOTA, COLOMBIA (RECENT - JUNE 16, 2010) (REUTERS) GENERAL VIEW OF CEREMONY HELD BY SANTOS TO GET DIFFERENT SECTORS TO SIGN AN AGREEMENT CALLED "NATIONAL UNITY FOR PROSPERITY" SANTOS GREETING PEOPLE AUDIENCE GENERAL VIEW OF SANTOS (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) U PARTY CANDIDATE JUAN MANUEL SANTOS, SAYING: "And to have a national unity government of different sectors of society - key sectors that contribute in an important way to a prosperous society, to a progressive society - and for these sectors to make a great agreement for a National Unity for Prosperity is very significant." AUDIENCE SANTOS TALKING BOGOTA, COLOMBIA (RECENT) (REUTERS) GENERAL VIEW OF POLITICAL ANALYST CLAUDIA LOPEZ IN INTERVIEW (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) POLITICAL ANALYST CLAUDIA LOPEZ SAYING: "Juan Manuel Santos received a complex alliance. With the good, the bad, the ugly and the criminal - and he incorporated it into his campaign. And his trajectory of experience will be a little stained with the political clientele, the mafioso and the para-political clientele. How he deals with it as a president will be something to watch. But his trajectory is stained, stained with Colombia's mafioso and traditional political sectors." MEDELLIN, COLOMBIA (RECENT - JUNE 13, 2010) (REUTERS) SANTOS IN CLOSING CAMPAIGN VARIOUS OF RALLY POSTER IN SUPPORT OF SANTOS AUDIENCE APPLAUDING GENERAL VIEW OF SUPPORTERS POSTER READING "AMAGA FOR SANTOS" VARIOUS OF SANTOS IN CLOSING CAMPAIGN
  • Embargoed: 4th July 2010 12:50
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Colombia
  • Country: Colombia
  • Topics: Domestic Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVAA7WH8DCVTASDK0WT6MWNMPB0Q
  • Aspect Ratio: 4:3
  • Story Text: With Colombia's second round presidential election just days away, former Defence Minister Juan Manuel Santos is riding high in the polls, some 40 points ahead of challenger Antanas Mockus.
    On the streets of Bogota, many are accepting a Santos victory as inevitable.
    "For me, the best President of Colombia Dr. Uribe - and I don't believe he is only the best of Colombia, but he is the best in the world. And Santos will continue the same politics as him and so they will be the two best presidents we have had in ages," said voter Farid Garcia.
    Colombia's first round election on May 30, ended with a surprisingly strong showing by Santos. Until the votes were counted, pollsters had Santos and Mockus in a dead even tie.
    However, Santos won a resounding victory, but failed to achieve more than 50 percent, sending the vote to the June 20 runoff.
    Santos is likely to continue many of the policies of President Alvaro Uribe, who leaves the presidency with a strong 70 percent approval rating. The former Defence Minister benefitted from a confluence of groups joining together to support him after the first round.
    Recently, he encouraged many different sectors to band together under his proposed National Unity for Prosperity agreement.
    "And to have a national unity government of different sectors of society - key sectors that contribute in an important way to a prosperous society, to a progressive society - and for these sectors to make a great agreement for a National Unity for Prosperity is very significant," he said.
    However, Santos' alliances could have a down side too, say some experts. Despite Uribe's high approval ratings, his government has recently been tarnished with a string of corruption scandals that could reflect badly on Santos.
    Political analyst Claudia Lopez said it will be interesting to see how he handles it.
    "Juan Manuel Santos received a complex alliance. With the good, the bad, the ugly and the criminal - and he incorporated it into his campaign. And his trajectory of experience will be a little stained with the political clientele, the mafioso and the para-political clientele. How he deals with it as a president will be something to watch. But his trajectory is stained, stained with Colombia's mafioso and traditional political sectors," she said.
    One of Santos' renowned successes as Defense Minister was the orchestration and execution of "Operation Jacque", a delicate plan to rescue some of the FARC's most famous hostages, former presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt and three American defense contractors.
    The enduring image of him following Betancourt down the steps of the airplane after her release was broadcast live around the world on that June day in 2008.
    Santos' security successes dominated his campaign.
    He promises "not one step back", saying he will keep up military pressure on armed groups and focus on crime in the cities by strengthening police forces. He says he will not negotiate with the FARC rebels unless they first cease hostilities.
    Although security has dominated much of Santos' campaign, many Colombians' main concerns now focus on an unemployment rate soaring to 13.4 percent, health care, and a faltering economy, hit hard by the decrease in exports following spats with neighboring Venezuela.
    Santos has tried to respond with economic management he describes as a "third way" - a free market approach with a priority on investment but with state intervention when necessary, for example, stepping in to regulate medicine prices to stop abuses.
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