peace talks with ELN might be essential to decide next Sunday's results

COLOMBIA - In Brief 11 Jun 2014 by Andres Escobar
Yesterday, through a press release, the Government and the National Liberation Army (ELN, for its acronym in Spanish) announced that joint peace talks have formally started, after an exploratory phase that started last year (http://wsp.presidencia.gov.co/Prensa/2014/Junio/Pa...). The ELN was created in the first half of the '60s, just as FARC was. Even though the latter has been traditionally more powerful, negotiating with the ELN is a necessary condition for an eventual peace negotiation to be considered material and definitive. This announcement will not change the hearts and minds of hard-core Santistas or Zuluaguistas (Uribistas), but the way both candidates handle the debate around the decision of ELN to come to the table will be key to attract undecided voters or even sway blank votes; according to the latest polls, the undecided represent between 5% and 7% of those who might vote, while blank votes lie in the 5%-12% range. Given that yesterday's events might prove to be essential in deciding next Sunday's results, expect attacks from both sides to ramp up as election day approaches, in an already virulent campaign that continues to polarize public opinion.

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