Uribe was re-elected just over a year ago by a landslide, a tribute to the popularity and effectiveness of his “democratic security” policy of combating both the guerrillas and the country’s generalized violence. Latin America’s oldest standing two-party system was decimated in that election, as the Polo Democrático presidential candidate won more votes than the Liberal Party’s contender, finally giving electoral expression to left-wing forces that had never been able to see more potential for change at the ballot box than by fighting in the mountains.
短短1年多以前，乌里韦凭借压倒性票数再次当选，这不仅因为与民兵和国内一般武装力量斗争的“民主安全”政策具有广泛的群众基础，还因为上述政策确实行之有效。拉丁美洲历史最为悠久的两党制度在那次选举中被摧毁，标志是民主变革中心党（Polo Democrático）的总统候选人比自由党（Liberal Party）竞争者赢得了更多的选票，从而最终赋予了从未在投票箱旁看到过变革潜力的左翼势力通过选举表达自己的机会，而在此之前，他们宁愿选择在深山里打游击。