- 14 March 2010: Elections for congress, both chambers: senate and house of representatives - and for the Andean parliament.
- 30 May 2010: Presidential elections, first round.
- 20 June 2010: A possible second round of the presidential elections.
To complicate things further, the congress has also called for a referendum to be held on a constitutional change that would make it possible for president Uribe to run for a second re-election.
Colombian elections are known to be quite corrupt: votes are bought, voters are harrassed, counting is manipulated etc. Candidates and their campaigns sometimes are paid with money from druglords, mafiosos, paramilitary leaders ... Regional politicians very often belong to political clans, families that have traditionally controlled political representation in their local area. Paramilitary groups and guerrilla threaten voters and attack electoral institutions. Clientilism is widespread, almost institutionalised.
Colombian state institutions are very often part of the problem, collaborating with bandits at different levels.
I will try to understand some of these many themes by writing about them. Perhaps this will also help some others to make sense of what they see and read about Colombia.
I believe it is important for several reasons: Colombia is a rich country, where half of the population is poor. This will not improve much unless there are democratic changes, redistribution of wealth (land reform), and other controversial and grand interventions. For this to happen, both national and international opinion is important.
My personal interest is also determined by my living in Colombia 4-5 months per year. I am not connected to any political party in Colombia, but I will be member of the group of international observers organised by MOE, Misión de Observación Electoral, as I have been before.
