10% of Colombian Congress “impeached”

Colombia´s Congress returns later this month to the shocking news that 10 per cent of members have been forced to give up their seat in the legislature, either for corruption, criminal wrong-doing, or inappropriate conduct.

Of the 200 plus elected to the 2010-2014 congress, a scandalous 22 have been kicked out of office, and we have a year to go before elections take place to replace them.

Famous names include the highly controversial Piedad Cordoba who was banned for “collaborating” with the FARC, Ivan Moreno, brother of corrupt Bogotá Mayor Samuel Moreno who stands accused of illegally pocketing millions for dodgy contracts, and Piedad Zucardi for alleged links to Colombia´s right wing paramilitary groups.

Other more bizarre cases include Senator Merlano who was last year famously caught drink driving, and appeared (in a video recorded by the police) attempting to threaten officers to let him go on account of the size of his electorate… Yes, seriously, “do, you know who I am?”, Merlano was effecting shown to be saying.

Incredibly, among those on the black list include a former Senate President, Javier Cáceres, and a senator with one of the highest number of votes won in the 2010 election (almost 140,000), Dilian Francisca Toro.

Virtually no political party has been left untouched by the litany of offences, the U Party has ten deposed congressmen, the Liberals 5, the Conservatives 4, PIN 2, and the Polo Democrats 1.

It´s little surprise then that according to a Gallop poll, two thirds of Colombians view the congress negatively, a figure that is trending upwards. Not even during the parapolitics outrage of the last parliament, when the influence of the paramilitaries on the capitolio was laid bare, has the congress enjoyed so little public support.

Colombians appear to have grown tired of their politicians who in far too great a number have been shown to be inept, corrupt or criminal.

Congress must act to halt the decline in confidence Colombians have in their institutions. New recruits must be attracted to the legislature and politicians must be more closely scrutinised by the media, and the public. The history of Latin America´s politics tells us that caudillos and dangerous populists spring up when discontent is rife.