The FARC continues to be a preeminent issue in Colombian elections

Just days away from the country’s 2014 presidential election, Colombia is enveloped in non-stop electoral gossip. Four years into Juan Manuel Santos’ presidency, the country has continued to see steady declines in crime, coupled with higher standards of living and macroeconomic growth.

And yet, as of late, the Santos administration has not failed to see its share of controversy as recent peace talks with the FARC guerrilla led by Santos’ Party of the U have sparked discord in the Colombian populace.

SEE ALSO: FARC builds a strong social media presence

Despite massive increments in public safety and reductions in drug-based crime levels over the past 15 years, the illicit drug trade is still at the forefront of the South American nation’s policymaking agenda.

Beginning in November of 2012, President Santos essentially wagered his presidency on a proposed peace agreement with the FARC guerrilla. In short, the arrangement he proposed would allow members of the FARC to gain full participatory privileges in the country’s electoral processes while agreeing to give up their use of violence as a military insurgency.

In other words, according to the treaty, FARC members would be allowed to participate in Colombian democracy upon giving up their arms.

The treaty, however, does not delve into the delicate issue of which specific FARC members would be permitted to essentially be full-fledged members of the Colombian parliament.

As Sibylla Brodzinsky of The Guardian explains, “…the agreement stops short of tackling the knotted issue of exactly who from the FARC may have a political future. Under the Colombian constitution, anyone convicted of a crime against humanity is barred from holding public office. So far, none of the FARC leaders have been, according to the attorney general.”

Whether or not former and current guerrilla leaders will receive amnesty or be prosecuted in the court of law remains to be determined by the treaty negotiations.

Further, generally positive economic circumstances in Colombia have made the FARC treaty the preeminent issue of the election.

The Economist puts it best: “The country’s economy is set to grow by 5% this year; it is poised to become Latin America’s third-biggest (overhauling Argentina). Inflation is low. Poverty is falling. [And] An ambitious road-building programme using private investment will add an extra point to growth in the next four years…”

Hence, in dealing with positive present circumstances, Colombia has turned to its much darker past in order to attempt to deal with a collective wound that is still far from healed.

As the election nears the home stretch, Óscar Iván Zulaga of the newly-formed Democratic Center party has positioned himself as Santos’ most substantial opponent amongst the four candidates vying in opposition to the incumbent.

Unlike the President, Zulaga is not in favor of a peace treaty and is backed by former President Álvaro Uribe, who helped found the Democratic Center party and maintains that the FARC is a terrorist organization that should be dealt with as such.

The most recent opinion polls have President Santos in the lead with approximately 30% of the vote, followed by Zulaga who lags behind by roughly ten percentage points. Most analysts indicate that Santos won’t be able to pull off the victory in the first-round of voting; rather, the election seems to be headed to a run-off on June 15^th.

Even then, the incumbent seems poised to retake office in Bogota, albeit surrounded by heavy controversy and a much weaker public mandate.

SEE ALSO: FARC guerrillas rap for peace