Colombians voted in a referendum on Sunday on whether to ratify a historic peace accord to end a 52-year war between the state and the communist FARC rebels.
The accord will effectively end what is seen as the last major armed conflict in the Western Hemisphere. The war has killed hundreds of thousands of people and displaced millions.
The government of Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos says it has no Plan B if voters reject the accord — but polls indicate it will pass by a wide margin.
35 million voters Colombians are sick of war, even though many resent making concessions to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), which has carried out killings, kidnappings and extortion.
Now citizens were voting on the question: “Do you support the final accord to end the conflict and to build a stable and lasting peace?”
Polls opened at 1300 GMT across the country and were due to close at 2100 GMT, with a result expected soon after. Around 35 million of Colombia’s 48 million people were eligible to vote.
Opinion surveys by pollsters Datexco and Ipsos Napoleon Franco, published on October 26, indicated the ‘Yes’ vote would win by a margin of around 20 per cent. The deal signed on October 26 by Mr. Santos and FARC leader Rodrigo Londono, known as “Timochenko”, calls for the rebels to disarm and convert into a political group. It will have at least 10 seats guaranteed for it in Colombia’s Congress. The accord’s main points include justice and compensation. There is an amnesty for some FARC members but not for those accused of the worst crimes such as massacres, torture and rape.
In the face of scepticism in the ‘No’ camp, the FARC promised in a statement on Saturday that it would provide “material compensation for victims” out of the force’s collective assets.
The peace plan aims to replace the fields of coca in FARC territory with other crops.
If voters approve the accord, FARC fighters must demobilise and disarm over the coming six months, monitored by the UN.
