Uribe Managing Succession, Promoting Democracy

September 11, 2008 by Jonathan Movroydis | Filed Under International Affairs, Terrorism 

Yesterday, I wrote about the potential succession of Colombian President Alvaro Uribe and the importance of finding a similar altruistic leader who will insure the safety and security of the Colombian people. Uribe further demonstrated his altruism yesterday when he urged the congress to debate political and judicial reform rather than seek constitutional change for a third consecutive term:

Admired on Wall Street for his market-friendly policies, Uribe left open the possibility of coming back to seek the presidency in 2014, saying the constitution could be easily changed to permit such a run.

“By suggesting he may run in 2014, after skipping a term, he is letting other candidates know that if they do not follow his policies he might come back and beat them,” said Mauricio Romero, political analyst at Bogota’s Javeriana University.

Possible successors — such as Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos and Noemi Sanin, Colombia’s ambassador to Britain — have been waiting for indications of Uribe’s plans.

The president’s popularity hovers at more than 80 percent thanks to his aggressive stance against cocaine-financed rebels who killed his father in a 1983 kidnapping attempt and have been fighting the state since the 1960s.

Uribe is demonstrating shrewd politics by leveraging a potential 2014 run to sustain existing reforms. Moreover, by giving early signals of stepping down, he is not only allowing for the congress to focus on the development of democratic institutions, but more importantly the development of a functional democracy, refocusing voters to the reality that there is hope after he leaves.

Comments