Betancourt Emerges as a Possible Rival to Uribe

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Wall Street Journal

Betancourt Emerges as a
Possible Rival to Uribe
Ex-FARC Hostage
Offers Criticism
Of Colombia Leader
By DAVID LUHNOW
July 14, 2008; Page A10

Former Colombian presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt, freed from her six-year hostage ordeal, is likely to resume her political career: helping reshape Colombian politics and possibly emerging as an important rival to President Álvaro Uribe, whose government rescued her.

~snip~
Ms. Betancourt's campaign could pressure Mr. Uribe to figure out a way to get the hostages freed. "I think the question of the remaining hostages will be a real problem for Uribe," said Michael Shifter, vice-president at the Inter-American Dialogue, a think tank in Washington. "Ingrid has enormous moral authority and political capital. She's going to make their release her cause."

~snip~
Mr. Uribe and his "Party of the U," which was created in the past few years because the Liberal and Conservative parties had lost credibility, have a chance to create a political monopoly. Having succeeded in changing Colombia's constitution once to allow himself to run for re-election in 2006, Mr. Uribe is considering a revision that would allow him a third term. His supporters argue Mr. Uribe is needed to ensure the defeat of the FARC, which were at the gates of Bogota when he took office six years ago and are now on the run.

Colombia needs "the emergence and subsequent consolidation of a modern center-left movement that clearly represents the interests of the poor. Ms. Betancourt could very well be the catalyst for this," Beatriz Rangel, a former Venezuelan government official and prominent commentator on Latin American politics, wrote in a report published by the Inter-American Dialogue.

In interviews this week, Ms. Betancourt said the main difference between her and Mr. Uribe is that he feels Colombia's fundamental problem is violence, which leads to social problems. Ms. Betancourt says she thinks it's the reverse -- that social problems such as inequality lead to violence.



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