Ivan Duque to be sworn in as Colombia’s president on Tuesday
Colombian lawmakers will today swear in president-elect Ivan Duque of the right-wing Democratic Centre party.
Mr Duque’s presidential campaign prominently featured opposition to the leftist, former militant FARC group. Currently, Colombians remain distrustful of the efficacy of the contested 2016 peace deal with the guerilla group, as former FARC militants are now engaging legally in politics and legislation before serving time in prison.
FARC’s participation in government is now constitutionally protected, as 10 seats are now guaranteed to the party in Congress. Any measures Duque takes to stifle FARC activity so as to please his voter base will be legally obstructed and hurt his credibility as president seeking to achieve peace.
Groups of National Liberation Army (ELN) guerilla fighters, ultimately aligned with FARC, and drug-traffickers are emerging in areas where FARC previously dwelled. Duque will find it difficult to quash these dissident groups with any moves rolling back the peace deal. In the event that Duque follows through with overhauling the deal, it is highly likely that violence stemming from ELN will exacerbate.
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