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EspañolOfficials opposed the newest version of Colombia’s FARC peace deal are looking for ways to stop it from becoming law.
Former Colombia President Alvaro Uribe said he and other members of the opposition are considering calling a referendum to halt the endorsement and implementation of the newest version of the guerilla peace deal negotiated between FARC and President Juan Manuel Santos’ administration.
The agreement is set to be signed next Thursday, and then taken to the country’s Congress to be approved legislatively instead of through the previous method used this October, which involved consulting the people through a vote.
- Read more: Colombian Government Postpones Signing of FARC Agreement
- Read more: Congress Can’t Authorize FARC Peace Deal, Former Inspector General
Uribe and his counterparts reiterated their criticism of the new agreement, asserting that it does not by address the concerns of those who opposed the initial agreement, which they said had issues related to transitional justice and drug trafficking policy. They claimed these problems remain unresolved in the new agreement.
Additionally, they said it is necessary to educate Congress as well as the country’s citizens so that everyone understands the opposition’s problems with the agreement.
To carry out a referendum in Colombia, a certain number of signatures must be collected and taken to Congress, along with the initiative to be voted on. With enough signatures, citizens are asked to come to vote. This is reportedly only one of several strategies Uribe and the opposition are preparing.
Alvaro Uribe and his supporters are not the only ones opposed to the new agreement. Politicians like Marta Lucía Ramirez — a presidential candidate for the Conservative Party — and former President Andrés Pastrana also criticized it.
Source: Caracol Radio
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