Volu m e II - Purdue University Calumet

positives of allowing Uribe to run again, then the negatives of changing the Colombian constitution, and
finally, putting this information together for a final answer on the matter.
Álvaro Uribe: a president’s record
Álvaro Uribe began his public career as a bureaucrat in the 1970’s, then being elected to the
Colombian Senate for two consecutive terms from 1986-1994, and was then elected as governor in 1995.
In 2002 he was elected president, and began working on making his country a safer place. During his
tenure, he has worked to eliminate rebel groups and force them out of towns and cities back into the
country, which has brought the level of violence down dramatically. Rebel groups since Uribe took office
have seen senior rebel commanders have been killed, deserted, or captured.
However, despite his successes in securing peace within his country, Uribe’s administration has also
had its share of scandals. After changing the constitution so he could run for a second term, the Colombian
Supreme Court called for an investigation into that election, after a legislator was convicted of accepting a
bribe to secure his support for the constitutional reform to allow Uribe to run again. Also, human rights
groups have criticized Uribe’s government for being too lenient with paramilitary officers who agreed to
disband their outfits. Many former allies of Uribe in the legislature have also been alleged to have ties to
some paramilitary groups. Uribe’s record, both the good and bad in it, should be taken into consideration
when asking whether he should be allowed to run.
Time for change: should Colombia allow reform?
Allowing Uribe to run again is not necessarily a question of Constitutional ethics or philosophy of
law, but more a matter of urgency and reason. Arguably, the current conditions in Colombia call for Uribe
to stay in office. One reason for Uribe staying in office is his crusade against paramilitary groups and terror
organizations such as the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). In 1962, after years of unrest
due to disapproval of Conservative Party regimes, left-wing, Marxist enclaves formed an alliance to bring
radical change to Colombia in the form of Communism. Responsible for most violence not related to drug
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