The Colombian rebel group FARC officially entered the world of politics on Friday after more than half a century of armed conflict with the government.
“From now on, the word will be our most powerful weapon,” said FARC commander Rodrigo Londono, known as Timoshenko, at a gathering of thousands of supporters in the capital Bogotá after the group presented its new political party.
“We want to build a new country with you. A country where people are not persecuted and killed just because they think differently,” Londono continued.
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About 1,200 delegates gathered at the congress in Bogotá this week to discuss the group’s transition into a political party, after they laid down their arms as part of a historic peace agreement with the government last year.
Londono stated that FARC will advocate for fair land distribution – one of the demands that inspired their founding in the 1960s – as well as for better access to education and healthcare in the country.
“We dream of a country where the law is transparent, and politicians defend human rights,” he said.
In accordance with the agreement signed last year, FARC will receive 10 seats in Congress – five in the upper house and five in the lower house – during the next legislative period 2018-2022.
This agreement will continue in the next period, but after 2026, the party will have to compete in elections on equal terms with other parties.
