Doubts looms over Colombia peace deal with hawk's election
Uncertainty loomed over Colombia's fragile peace deal on Monday with the victory of one of its most hawkish critics in a bruising presidential runoff that laid bare deep divisions in the South American nation as it emerges from decades of bloody conflict.
Ivan Duque, a law-and-order disciple of a powerful former president, won Sunday's vote with a commanding 12-point lead over rival Gustavo Petro, a former rebel and ex-Bogota mayor.
On the campaign trail, Duque repeatedly vowed to roll back benefits inscribed in the deal, such as demanding that rebel commanders behind scores of atrocities first confess to their war crimes and compensate victims before they are allowed to take up the congressional seats they have been promised in the accord.
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In the final stretch before the vote, as victory seemed within reach, the pro-business Duque was already moderating some of his proposals, including a call to overturn a negotiated amnesty for rebels involved in drug trafficking.
He also stressed that rank-and-file guerrillas of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia would have his full support in making their transition to civilian life.
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It's also not clear how much leeway there is to make changes to the 310-page accord that put a formal end to a conflict that caused more than 250,000 deaths.
Colombia's constitutional court has declared some aspects of the agreement irreversible.
For Duque to prevail in his call for substantive "corrections" that deliver "peace with justice," he'll likely need to build political support in Congress that he currently lacks to pass a constitutional reform.
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The FARC has already accepted changes to the accord once before, after the original deal was rejected by voters led by Uribe in a referendum.
After Sunday's election victory, ex-guerrilla leader Rodrigo Londono immediately congratulated Duque and said Colombians should work together because "the road of hope is open."
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