Colombian rebels enter political arena under FARC name

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The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) has entered the next stage of a remarkable transition: from guerilla group to mainstream political party.

The Colombian rebel force signed a peace deal in 2016 to end decades of conflict, and on Thursday evening unveiled its campaign platform under the banner of the Revolutionary Alternative Common Force (Fuerza Alternativa Revolucionaria del Comun in Spanish) ahead of legislative and presidential elections in 2018.

The logo of new political party of the ex-FARC guerrillas released‍ on August 31, 2017. /AFP Photo via FARC Press Office

But in a country in which the left has traditionally struggled, can a Communist party offshoot that carries a legacy abhorred by many Colombians gain a foothold in the electoral process?

A new party

At a six-day party congress that concludes in Bogota on Friday, around 1,200 delegates thrashed out a vision for the FARC’s entrance into Colombia’s electoral process.

"At this event we are transforming the FARC into a new, exclusively political organization," said Rodrigo Londono, the group’s leader.

Rodrigo Londono tweeted that delegates had selected Fuerza Alternativa Revolucionaria del Comun as the political party's name -- retaining the FARC acronym

Revolutionary Alternative Common Force – announced by Londono on Twitter -- retains the FARC acronym used during the group’s 52-year struggle against the state, a potentially controversial move in a country where the group’s killings and kidnappings remain fresh in the memory.

"They are keeping the same acronym because they want to maintain their support base in rural areas," the FARC-controlled conflict zones, sociologist Fabian Sanabria told AFP. "Doubtless people expected something different. It is possible that this name from the start will restrict them to representing only a small sector of the population."

FARC members attend the opening of their National Congress in Bogota on August 27, 2017. /AFP Photo

Londono said 628 delegates at the congress voted to keep “revolutionary” in the group’s name, with 264 for "New Colombia." A new party logo was also unveiled, featuring a red rose with a red star in the middle.

‘Transparency and truth’

The FARC will advocate "a democratic political regime that guarantees peace and social justice, respects human rights and guarantees economic development for all," Londono stated during the congress.

The new party’s policies will be focused on fighting corruption, inclusivity, and promoting arts and culture.

FARC members attend the opening of their National Congress in Bogota on August 27, 2017. /AFP Photo

According to a Reuters translation, a graphic published by the party on Thursday evening stated:

“No more traditional political parties and their corrupt policies. Transparency and truth will guide the actions of the new party. Youth, women, indigenous people, rural farmers, Afro-Colombians, artists, the LGBTI population, housewives, students, workers and the unemployed - everyone's opinion matters."

2018 elections

The FARC has been granted 10 unelected seats in the Colombian legislature – five in each chamber -- until 2026 as part of the peace deal signed last year, but the scale of its wider prospects in a 2018 election cycle expected to be dominated by the South American country’s recent corruption scandals is as yet unclear.

FARC leader Rodrigo Londono speaks during the opening of their National Congress in Bogota on August 27, 2017. /AFP Photo

Londono has ruled out the new party fielding a presidential contender in 2018, but will support a candidate who guarantees the peace deal the FARC signed with center-right President Juan Manuel Santos.

Opponents of the peace accord are also likely to make it a major issue in the 2018 elections, and the wider agreement between the FARC and the government continues to face obstacles.

Peace deal

Under the deal reached in 2016 after four years of negotiation, all FARC weapons have been relinquished under UN supervision and all fighters have been demobilized.

Ex-fighters will mostly be granted amnesty, while those who are tried will likely serve only light sentences.

Colombians rejected the peace deal in a referendum last year, but President Santos later pushed an amended version through Congress.

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos (L) and the head of the FARC guerrilla group Rodrigo Londono shake hands during the signing of the historic peace agreement between the Colombian government and the FARC, in Cartagena, Colombia, on September 26, 2016 . /AFP Photo

Challenges to a lasting peace in Colombia remain however, notably from smaller rebel groups who have not struck ceasefire deals with the government. The potential role of the FARC in helping achieve such agreements adds a further level of intrigue to this extraordinary story.

The Colombian government is currently holding talks with another rebel group, the 1,500-strong National Liberation Army, in Ecuador.

Legacy of violence

The FARC was established in 1964 as the military arm of the Communist Party, and over time established itself as Colombia’s largest rebel group.

It was historically an overwhelmingly rural organization, fighting against inequality – particularly in the distribution of land -- in the South American country.

Anti-narcotics police officers blow up a laboratory for processing cocaine base seized from FARC in the municipality of Puerto Concordia on January 25, 2011. /AFP Photo

The struggle between the FARC and the government took many forms, including attacks and ambushes on police and security forces. Around 220,000 people are thought to have died in the conflict.

The group also held thousands of people to ransom as a means of raising finance, to complement earnings from involvement in the drug trade.

The Colombian army fought back hard against the FARC, killing several members of the group’s leadership over the past decade.

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