martes, 20 de abril de 2010

Challenges for Colombia's next president

The Economist article
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1 comentario:

  1. Miguel Angel22 de abril de 2010, 20:13

    "Friday, April 16, 2010
    Colombia Green Party Candidate Mockus Remains Second In Polls.

    By Matthew Bristow
    Dow Jones Newswires

    BOGOTA -(Dow Jones)- Colombian Green Party candidate Antanas Mockus remains the strongest challenger to favorite Juan Manuel Santos in May 30 presidential elections, according to a poll published Friday.
    Santos continues to lead the presidential race with 30% of voting intentions, ahead of Mockus with 20%, according to pollster Ipsos. Support for Mockus has risen sharply in recent weeks. An Ipsos poll on March 23 gave Mockus just 9% support.
    Support for Conservative Party candidate Noemi Sanin fell to 12% from 17% over the same period, according to Ipsos.
    "What is clear is that Sanin's vote is melting faster than the polar ice cap," said Rupert Stebbings, an analyst with Colombia's largest brokerage Interbolsa. "Much more of this and she may come under pressure to knock on Santos's door."
    Both Santos and Sanin claim to be current President Alvaro Uribe's heirs. They both pledged to continue Uribe's pro-business and tough-on-guerilla policies.
    Mockus is an academic and former mayor of Bogota, credited with helping improve the city's dysfunctional transport system and reducing the murder rate through policies such as the "carrot law," which forced bars to close at 1 a.m. He is popular with left-wing voters, despite a record of supporting traditionally right-wing policies such as the privatization of public utilities and a tough stance on law and order.
    Many Colombians regard him as eccentric and unpredictable. He rode an elephant at his wedding ceremony, once threw a glass of water in the face of a political rival during a debate and, as rector of the National University in Bogota, flashed his buttocks at an audience of disorderly students.
    Last week Mockus told a local radio station that he is suffering from the early stages of Parkinson's disease.
    During frontrunner Santos' tenure as defense minister, the Colombian army inflicted severe blows on the country's Marxist guerrillas, including the deaths of top commanders and the rescue of high-profile hostages, including former presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt and three U.S. contractors.
    However, his administration was marred by a scandal involving the army's killing of civilians, who were then presented as guerrillas killed in combat.
    Copyright © 2009 Dow Jones Newswires"


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