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"Colombia's problems are far from over. But the current signs of strength stand in sharp contrast with the gloomy and even fatalistic climate of opinion, predominant among Colombians just a couple of years ago, that was loudly echoed in international circles."
The ballot, not the bullet, had prevailed. This was the reading El Tiempo, the leading Colombian newspaper, gave to the results of a busy electoral weekend last October when the country went to the polls to decide on a complex referendum and to elect departmental governors and assemblies, city mayors, and local council members. President Alvaro Uribe repeated El Tiempo's message hours later, though his mood was far from triumphant. he had little reason to celebrate: the referendum's outcome was a major setback for the president, and some of the candidates identified with his government failed to win elections in the largest cities.
But this was beside the general point made by El Tiempo. Colombian democracy had shown, once again, signs of strength. A country supposedly at war had voted in peace. The electorate had behaved in a sophisticated and independent manner, distinguishing what was at stake among the different polls. From this emerged the picture of a pluralist society, best symbolized by the victory of the opposition in Bogota, Colombia's capital, which is now in the hands of Luis Garzon-one of Uribe's opponents in the 2002 presidential election and one of the leaders of the recently founded leftist Independent Democratic Pole party.
"We have reached modernity," claimed former Vice President Humberto de la Calle. Overenthusiasm, no doubt. Nevertheless, his words reflect the optimism of most Colombians today. The government failed to score major electoral victories in October 2003, but Uribe and the country had other reasons to look toward the future with confidence. Uribe's first year in office yielded some satisfactory results: murder and kidnapping rates were significantly reduced, as were terrorist attacks and coca acreage; the economy continued to recover, traffic returned to the roads, Colombians felt more secure, and the president's popularity remained high (almost 80 percent favorable ratings).
Of course, Colombia's problems are far from over. But the current signs of strength stand in sharp contrast to the gloomy and even fatalistic climate of opinion, predominant among Colombians just a...