HTTP/1.0 200 OK Content-Type: text/html Extremist Parties Win Big 
Pubdate: Mon, 11 Mar 2002
Source: Washington Times (DC)
Copyright: 2002 News World Communications, Inc
Contact:  http://www.washingtontimes.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/492
Author: Agence France Presse

EXTREMIST PARTIES WIN BIG

BOGOTA, Colombia - Colombia's two largest and most traditional political 
parties were routed in congressional elections here yesterday, with voters 
choosing in their stead a bevy of right-wing and left-wing independents.

Supporters of hard-line independent presidential candidate Alvaro Uribe did 
best in largely peaceful nationwide voting yesterday, followed, ironically, 
by supporters of Antonio Navarro Wolf, an ex- guerrilla from the 
demobilized M-19 rebel group swept into the Senate.

Congressional candidates from President Andres Pastrana's Conservative 
Party were routed, along with those from the Liberal Party, Colombia's 
largest and best-organized political organization. Liberals and 
Conservative presidents alternated power in Colombia throughout most of the 
20th century.

Yesterday's balloting, which was largely peaceful, took place 18 days after 
Mr. Pastrana ended a 3-year-old peace process with the Revolutionary Armed 
Forces of Colombia (FARC), Latin America's most powerful rebel group.

The FARC has called on Colombians to refrain from balloting, but 
predictions of widespread violence turned out to be alarmist.

Colombian voters had to elect 102 senators and 166 representatives, the 
whole of the nation's Congress.

As of 10 p.m. last night, and with 90 percent of the votes counted, 
Liberals had 32 seats in the Senate - down from 56 - while Mr. Pastrana's 
Conservatives had 13 Senate seats, down from 17. The remainder was taken up 
by independent candidates, some supporting Mr. Navarro, others supporting 
Mr. Uribe, and still others backing personalities with no clear political 
stance.

Figures for the Chamber of Representatives were still preliminary.

Officials said that 95 percent of the country was calm, with isolated 
incidents of violence, including ballot-box burning, in remote rural areas.

In regions where right-wing paramilitaries were active, there was pressure 
to elect candidates of their choosing.
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