Not so united: the electoral hangover in Colombia’s ruling coalition
The political fallout from Colombia’s regional elections on 25 October could create some serious difficulties for President Juan Manuel Santos in the remaining three years of his mandate. The Unidad Nacional coalition undergirding his government has looked anything but united during the election post mortem. Rather the results of the elections have exposed a clear rift between the Partido de la U (PU) and the Partido Liberal (PL) on the one hand, and Cambio Radical (CR), led by Vice-President Germán Vargas Lleras, on the other hand. Vargas Lleras downplayed internal coalition divisions but the leaders of the PU and PL have been forthright in their criticism, alleging that he misused his position to gain an early advantage in the race to succeed Santos in 2018.
On paper the regional elections were a resounding success for President Santos. His coalition won the majority of the 32 gubernatorial contests, 1,102 mayoralties, as well as departmental deputies and councillors. The right- wing opposition Centro Democrático (CD) of his principal political rival, Senator and former president Alvaro Uribe (2002-2010), failed to make a big splash on its regional electoral debut, and the left-wing Polo Democrático Alternativo (PDA) fared even worse, its poor performance compounded by the loss of its stronghold in Bogotá. But no sooner had the dust settled on the elections than tensions broke out among the three parties making up the ruling coalition. The concern for Santos is that, unless they are reconciled, the three parties could hold up the approval of key legislative initiatives in the coming months and years.