Elections, Reflecting Rightward Course, Buoy Colombian Leader
While much of South America has veered to the political left, Colombia has taken a sharp turn to the right as voting results Monday showed a right-of-center coalition sweeping congressional elections. The elections on Sunday, which gave allies of President Álvaro Uribe overwhelming control of the 268-member Congress, virtually assure him the political leverage to win re-election in May and to push forward important items on his agenda, from continuing the fight against Marxist guerrillas to approving a trade deal with Washington and enacting tough fiscal reforms. Full Story