Uribe’s eerie allies: Neo-Nazis and ranchers
Uribe’s eerie allies: Neo-Nazis and ranchers
Nov 3, 2014 posted by Joel Gillin
In his attempts to recover lost political power, former president Alvaro Uribe has been making alliances with the some of the most extreme elements in Colombian politics. While the times of Uribe as a mainstream politician seem long gone, the former president still has formidable support among a large chunk of primarily conservative Colombians.
His newly formed party, the Democratic Center, received 15% of votes for the senate in March, and Uribe’s hand-picked presidential candidate, Oscar Ivan Zuluaga, nearly beat President Juan Manuel Santos in presidential elections in June. But Uribe’s control over Colombia’s mainstream politics has diminished and the former president has been forced to seek alliances outside of many of the traditional political power centers.
Among those political groups who back the former president politically is a fascistic youth movement with connections to neo-Nazis.
Uribe has also strengthened ties with ranchers infamous for their proximity with the now-defunct right-wing paramilitary organization AUC, as well as criminal elements within the security and intelligence institutions.
More:
http://colombiareports.co/neo-nazis-ranchers-uribes-allies-extreme-right/