International

New Colombian leader promises order

BOGOTA May 27. A resounding victory in hand, the President-elect, Alvaro Uribe, promised that Colombians from all walks of life will benefit from his crusade to bring law and order to the most insecure and violent nation in Latin America.

Mr. Uribe, a 49-year-old former Governor and Mayor of Colombia's second-largest city, Medellin, easily swept the vote on Sunday. With 98.9 per cent of precincts reporting, Mr. Uribe had 53 per cent of the vote, compared to 31.7 per cent for his closest challenger, the former Interior Minister, Horacio Serpa.

The majority vote gave Mr. Uribe an outright victory and averted a runoff next month. More than 11.2 million voters cast ballots — a slightly lower turnout than expected. The hard-line independent promised in an acceptance speech at a Bogota hotel to bring "Security, so (the rebels) don't kidnap the businessman, so they don't kill the labour leader, so they don't extort the rancher, so they don't force the peasant to flee his home."

From urban centres to Andean villages and sweltering jungle hamlets, voters expressed frustration over failed peace talks and a belief that their nation was on the brink of a wider war. The overwhelming vote was a clear sign that most Colombians support Mr. Uribe's tough position on taming the 38-year guerilla insurgency. The race was closely watched by U.S. officials, and the U.S. Ambassador, Anne Patterson, arrived at the hotel to congratulate Mr. Uribe late Sunday. She predicted Washington would have a close relationship with Mr. Uribe's Government, which takes charge in August.

In his nationally televised speech, the Harvard-and-Oxford educated Mr. Uribe showed his agenda goes beyond plans to beef up the military, seek U.S. counterinsurgency aid and recruit one million civilians to be an early warning system for the armed forces. Mr. Uribe said he would carry out a "revolution" in education and root out Colombia's rampant political corruption. — AP

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

International

News: Front Page | National | Southern States | Other States | International | Opinion | Business | Sport | Miscellaneous |
Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Obituary |

Stories in this Section

• NATO-Russia Council to take shape
• Taliban leaders active in Pak.
• Al-Aqsa leader held in Bethlehem
• Live up to people's trust: Suu Kyi
• Germany to downsize its mission in Pak.
• New Colombian leader promises order
• Hanson to face trial for electoral fraud
• Agenda for talks must get priority, says Norway
• Polanski finally triumphs at Cannes
• 'Nuclear war will claim 12 million lives'
• Russian Minister in Pak. on peace mission

Copyright © 2002, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu