Colombia Pictures Presents: Demócrito, the Democracy Watchman

Carolina is not only involved in her CAP Effects Climate Change Páramo, but is also very much engaged in the political discourse of her country’s presidential elections which are coming up this spring. Instead of a CAPs Friday, find out more about Demócrito today!

 

Colombia Pictures Presents: Demócrito, the Democracy Watchman

 

Carolina  Figueroa

In 2010, Colombia is going to decide who is going to be the next president for the period 2010-2014. Many people inside and outside the country are afraid about how the elections are going to develop in May this year. There are several doubts concerning how the current president Alvaro Uribe Vélez has been manipulating the law and his government for individual profit in order to be elected for a third period.
 
Alvaro Uribe Velez was elected democratically as the president of Colombia for the first time from 2002 to 2006. In our Constitution, supreme law of laws, the reelection for a second period of the president was not allowed, but this changed before the end of the first period of Uribe’s presidency. After the initiative of a national political party supporting the president, they boost a referendum looking for changing the constitution and allowing, for the first time in Colombian history, the presidential reelection for a second period. This was an important turning point and Uribe was amazingly supported by the people during the democratic elections, winning with almost 62% of the votes. He was elected again as the President of Colombia from 2006 to 2010.

 

Today, the story is being repeated, the president wants to be reelected again, but there are many new and worrying ingredients. A new referendum project for the second reelection was approved within the Congress beneath unconventional practices and has been running and bouncing the walls of the Congress for almost two years now. There is still the lack of clarity concerning the approval of this referendum and it is making too much noise five months before the presidential elections. Consequently, presidency candidates find themselves in a difficult position: they do not know if Alvaro Uribe is going to be their competitor or not. The rules can still be changed until February, three months before the elections, when the Constitutional Court gives the last sentence about the process.

 

It’s important to say that the president Uribe has never manifested any feeling or thought about his reelection process and about his desire of being the president of Colombia again. However, what is completely evident is that his entire team is making the impossible for getting closer the possibility.

 

As I continue, I will not go deep into what Uribe has done right or wrong during his time as the President of Colombia. What I want to show now is how some of the citizens have reacted to this unusual way of changing the rules of the game.

 

Colombian old generations find youth apolitical and not interested in politics, and this is supported by the fact that youth is less and less engaged in traditional ways of doing politics such as being part of a political party. As a part of the youth in Colombia I can say that it is frustrating that politics is synonym of corruption, inefficiency, violence and lack of justice. The system is made in such a way that it bites its tail.

 

But what is true is that political parties are old fashion and new ways of participation are being created and innovated by youth using powerful tools and social media networks. In this context, Demócrito, the watchman of the Colombian Constitution was created by a group of different young people: designers, journalist, political scientists, lawyers, engineers, etc. Demócrito is a nice old guy who carries always a lantern and a radio: he is always prepared to see where there is dark and he is aware about the moves of the people.

 

Demócrito is a social construction and since his birth in December 2009, he has been telling media and the public in general that there are many Colombians looking forwards to protect the democracy, especially on the eve of elections. Demócrito is recognized today by hundreds of Colombians and it is the start of a new way of seeing and doing politics.

 


Demócrito haciendo fila: Democrito is waiting in line in front of the Justice Palace in Bogotá. Demócrito signed a request with 700 citizens, not approving the reelectionist referendum in December 2009.

 

Demócrito caminando: Democrito walks in the streets. People smile when they see him and everyone wants to know who he is.

 

Demócrito de vacaciones: Demócrito on vacation.

 

Demócrito en la playa: Demócrito on the beach. During his December holidays he went to different corners in Colombia. He enjoyed the beach a lot and could get tanned.

 

Carolina