Colombian Political Parties Unite Behind 'The Great Peace Pact'

The leaders of nearly all of Colombia's political parties joined President Juan Manuel Santos in affirming their support for the country's peace process, signing onto what the president has called “The Great Peace Pact.” 

Every party with representation in the country's Congress, representing a wide variety of ideologies and outlooks, was invited to sign onto this political pact, which will play an instrumental role in garnering support from the Colombian public for a final peace deal with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. 

#PactoPorLaPaz logrado hoy con partidos significa dejar a un lado nuestras diferencias para buscar reconciliación. pic.twitter.com/mY9wlqSY8d

— Juan Manuel Santos (@JuanManSantos) February 24, 2016

#PeacePact achieved today with parties means leaving aside our differences in order to seek reconciliation

President Santos said the pact represents “a large political bloc — where the left, center and right, in their various nuances are present — committed to work for the end of the armed conflict and the building of peace."

“The Great Peace Pact” includes Colombia's two traditional parties, the Conservatives and Liberals, and the opposition leftist Alternative Democratic Pole.

The only party to decline to participate in the political pact was the Democratic Center, the party of former right-wing President Alvaro Uribe, who has consistently opposed efforts to achieve peace in Colombia through a negotiated peace deal.

Santos was re-elected to the presidency in 2014, defeating the candidate from the Democratic Center in the second round, due to his efforts to secure a peace deal with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, known as the FARC. 

The final peace deal with the FARC is expected in late March but must be ratified by the Colombian people through a referendum.

The parties who signed onto “The Great Peace Pact” have committed to helping campaign in favor of the peace deal in the referendum.

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“We cannot grant ourselves the luxury of letting our political differences put at risk the greatest achievement in the history of the country: peace,” said Santos in a press conference Tuesday.

The Congress of Colombia must implement a number of laws in the coming weeks, including the Public Order Act and the Legislative Act for Peace, in order to facilitate the implementation of the peace deal with the FARC.