COLOMBIAN VOTERS REJECT PEACE DEAL
• Colombian voters rejected a peace deal with leftist rebels by a razorthin margin in a national referendum Sunday, delivering a major setback to President Juan Manuel Santos, who vowed to keep a ceasefire in place and not give up his campaign to end a half-century of war.
With more than 99 per cent of polling stations reporting, 50.2 per cent of ballots opposed the accord with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) while 49.8 per cent favoured it — a difference of less than 57,000 votes out of a total of 13 million. Pre-election polls had predicted the “yes” vote would win by an almost twoto-one ratio.
“I won’t give up. I’ll continue to search for peace until the last moment of my mandate,” Santos said in a televised address recognizing his defeat.
He ordered his negotiators to return to Cuba on Monday to consult with FARC leaders who were awaiting results on the communist island. He also promised to listen to opponents in a bid to save — and strengthen — the deal, which he said is Colombia’s best chance for ending a conflict that has killed 220,000 people and driven almost eight million people from their homes.
The shocking outcome opens an uncertain outlook for the peace accord that was signed less than a week ago by Santos and the FARC in a ceremony attended by heads of state, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry.
Opposition to the accord, led by influential former president Alvaro Uribe, argued that the government was appeasing the FARC and setting a bad example that criminal gangs would seize on. If the “no” vote prevailed, Uribe said, the government should return to the negotiating table.
But that is an option that Santos has previously ruled out.
“The FARC deeply regret that the destructive power of those who sow hatred and revenge have influenced the Colombian people’s opinion,” rebel leader Timochenko told reporters.
He said the group’s commitment to peace remains intact.
Turnout for the vote was low, less than the 40 per cent seen in recent congressional elections, a further sign to some analysts that Colombians’ enthusiasm for the ambitious accord was lacking. Heavy rains from hurricane Matthew also hurt turnout along the Caribbean coast.
The FARC in recent days made an effort to prove its commitment to peace is real. Twice last week rebel leaders travelled to areas hit hard by violence to apologize for massacres committed by their troops and discuss with communities how they can compensate victims.