After one of the nastiest presidential campaigns in recent memory, Colombians savored a few moments of civility on Sunday night, when they reelected President Juan Manuel Santos to a second four-year term. Santos’s notably inclusive victory speech — replete with references to Pope Francis, the late Colombian icon Gabriel García Márquez, and the nation’s convincing World Cup win the day before — followed gracious remarks by his defeated opponent, Óscar Iván Zuluaga. Santos’s challenger had topped a field of five candidates in the first round on May 25, but lost by a margin of nearly six points to Santos in the run-off vote.
But the “feel good” post-electoral atmosphere proved ephemeral. Shortly after the candidates delivered their respective speeches, former president Álvaro Uribe, who had handpicked Zuluaga to represent his Democratic Center party in the election, weighed in. He sharply attacked Santos, accusing him of the “worst corruption in history.” His catalogue of charges included vote-buying, illegal campaign ads, and other alleged abuses that essentially stem from the advantages of incumbency.
