This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/oct/02/colombia-referendum-rejects-peace-deal-with-farc

The article has changed 9 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 2 Version 3
Colombia referendum rejects peace deal with Farc guerrillas Colombia referendum rejects peace deal with Farc guerrillas
(35 minutes later)
Colombians have rejected a peace deal to end 52 years of war with Farc guerrillas, throwing the country into confusion about its future.Colombians have rejected a peace deal to end 52 years of war with Farc guerrillas, throwing the country into confusion about its future.
With counting completed from 98% of polling stations, the no vote led with 50.23% to 49.76%, a difference of 61,000 votes.With counting completed from 98% of polling stations, the no vote led with 50.23% to 49.76%, a difference of 61,000 votes.
The verdict on the deal between the government of Juan Manuel Santos and the Farc reached after four years of intense negotiations means it cannot now not be implemented. The verdict on the deal between the government of Juan Manuel Santos and the Farc reached after four years of intense negotiations means it cannot now be implemented.
Polls before the vote predicted yes would win with a comfortable 66% share. Santos had been confident of a yes result and said during the campaign that he did not have a plan B and that Colombia would return to war if the no vote won. His opponents, led by former president Alvaro Uribe, said a win for their side would be a mandate for the government and rebels to negotiate a “better agreement”.Polls before the vote predicted yes would win with a comfortable 66% share. Santos had been confident of a yes result and said during the campaign that he did not have a plan B and that Colombia would return to war if the no vote won. His opponents, led by former president Alvaro Uribe, said a win for their side would be a mandate for the government and rebels to negotiate a “better agreement”.
Both government and rebels have repeatedly said that the deal was the best they could achieve and a renegotiation would not be possible.Both government and rebels have repeatedly said that the deal was the best they could achieve and a renegotiation would not be possible.
Farc leaders watched the results on television from Havana but did not immediately react to the outcome of the referendum. Santos was holed up with his negotiating team at the presidential palace analysing the results. Santos, who watched the results come in at the presidential palace in Bogota, said he accepted the “no” result but said a ceasefire would continue.
Santos, who has staked his legacy on achieving peace, said he would meet with all political parties on Monday to find a way forward for the peace process. The vote would not affect Colombia’s stability, he said.
The Farc leader, Rodrigo Londono, said the insurgent group maintained its desire for peace despite the failure of a plebiscite to approve its recently signed deal with the government.
“The Farc reiterates its disposition to use only words as a weapon to build toward the future,” said Londono, who is known by his nom de guerre, Timochenko. “To the Colombian people who dream of peace, count on us, peace will triumph.”
Under the agreement rejected by voters, the Farc’s 5,800 fighters and a similar number of urban militia members would have disarmed and become a legal political party. A bilateral ceasefire has been in effect since 29 August and it is uncertain whether that will remain in place.Under the agreement rejected by voters, the Farc’s 5,800 fighters and a similar number of urban militia members would have disarmed and become a legal political party. A bilateral ceasefire has been in effect since 29 August and it is uncertain whether that will remain in place.
Antono Sanguino, leader of the Green party that promoted the yes vote said the results of the plebiscite leave the country in a “situation of vertigo”. Antono Sanguino, leader of the Green party that promoted the yes vote said the results of the plebiscite left the country in a “situation of vertigo”.
Half of the voters were convinced by a “discourse of hate”, he told Caracol television. “Not even the promoters of no know what happens now.”Half of the voters were convinced by a “discourse of hate”, he told Caracol television. “Not even the promoters of no know what happens now.”
Meanwhile, supporters of the no campaign publicly reached out to the Farc. Meanwhile, supporters of the no campaign publicly reached out to theFarc.
Francisco Santos, former vice president, said commanders would be given “all the guarantees to continue negotiations for this peace process to have a good conclusion”. Francisco Santos, a former vice-president, said commanders would be given “all the guarantees to continue negotiations for this peace process to have a good conclusion”.
Both the Farc and government had believed that was what they had reached.Both the Farc and government had believed that was what they had reached.
In a ceremony on 26 September, with UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, US Secretary of State, John Kerry, and a dozen Latin American leaders on hand as witnesses, Santos and Farc leader, Timochenko, signed the deal their negotiators had reached after four years of talks in Havana. In a ceremony on 26 September, with UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon, US Secretary of State John Kerry and a dozen Latin American leaders on hand as witnesses, Santos and Farc leader Timochenko signed the deal their negotiators had reached after four years of talks in Havana.
In the days leading up to the vote, Farc commanders rushed to make a round of public apologies to their victims in an attempt to boost support for the yes vote. On Thursday, chief rebel negotiator, Iván Márquez, presented the community of Bojayá, Chocó, where the 2002 bombing of a church killed 119 people, with a new crucifix. At a similar event on Friday in Apartadó, Antioquia, the site of a 1994 Farc massacre of 35 people, Márquez said it “never should have happened”. In the days before the vote, Farc commanders rushed to make a round of public apologies to their victims in an attempt to boost support for the yes vote. On Thursday, chief rebel negotiator Iván Márquez presented the community of Bojayá, Chocó, where the 2002 bombing of a church killed 119 people, with a new crucifix. At a similar event on Friday in Apartadó, Antioquia, the site of a 1994 Farc massacre of 35 people, Márquez said it “never should have happened”.
On Saturday UN monitors oversaw the Farc’s destruction of over 620 kilos of explosives in a remote corner of the country. The group also promised to give an accounting of their assets to be used to repair victims of the war, despite having previously said they had no money. On Saturday UN monitors oversaw the Farc’s destruction of over 620 kilos of explosives in a remote corner of the country. The group also promised to give an accounting of their assets, to be used to compensate victims of the war, despite having previously said they had no money.
But the apologies and promises appear to have come too late.But the apologies and promises appear to have come too late.
The deal would have allowed rebel leaders to avoid jail time if they confess to their crimes such as killing, kidnapping, indiscriminate attacks, and child recruitment, something that many Colombians found hard to swallow. The deal would have allowed rebel leaders to avoid jail if they confessed to their crimes such as killing, kidnapping, indiscriminate attacks, and child recruitment, something that many Colombians found hard to swallow.
By promoting a no vote, Uribe argued that he did not support continued war but rather hoped to force the government and Farc to renegotiate a better deal. “Peace is exciting,” he said after casting his vote. “The texts from Havana are disappointing.”By promoting a no vote, Uribe argued that he did not support continued war but rather hoped to force the government and Farc to renegotiate a better deal. “Peace is exciting,” he said after casting his vote. “The texts from Havana are disappointing.”