In a landslide victory, former defense minister, Juan Manuel Santos was elected Colombia’s next President handily beating the Green Party candidate Antanas Mockus, the former mayor of Bogota.
Santos had been the front runner with a 70% lead after the May 30 first-round elections. The landslide victory was viewed by many as an indication of the strong appeal Uribe continues to have in Colombia and a vote of support for his hard line stance against terrorist guerrillas. The voters have great confidence in Santos and are impressed with his successful military campaigns as defense minister that saw the release of many FARC guerrilla captives. Santos has vowed to continue the pressure on the guerrilla movements and keep internal security a high priority, he has also addressed the enormous issue of poverty. Close to half of the country lives in poverty and Santos recognizes the need to address the issue with the same fierceness as the leftists terrorists. He plans to add millions of jobs in four years.
