Jorge Enrique Robledo Castillo is one of the most visible politicians in the land. A hard left, trade-unionist and anti-free trade agreement polemicist, Robledo is a hero for many who oppose the “neo-liberalism” of recent Colombian governments.

In 2010 he was re-elected to the senate with the third highest number of votes of all candidates, and is, electorally, the number one member of the main opposition party, the Polo Democratic Alternative.

Last year, Robledo became the darling of the student movement, leading the opposition to the Santos Government´s proposed higher education reforms.

Vocal, charismatic and instantly recognizable, Robledo is not afraid to act as a lone voice in a political system he himself labels a tyrannically “unanimous” in its subservience to the president.

A frequent contributor to the top political debate programme, Hora 20, on Caracol Radio, Robledo has star quality, and the integrity of his arguments make him popular even among those who do not share his views.

Robledo was born in Ibagué in 1950, graduated from the top private Universidad de los Andes, and went on to teach at the public Universidad Nacional. While at university, Robledo joined the left-wing MOIR movement, and formed close ties with trade unionists. Perhaps as a result of his debating style, many assume he is a lawyer, but this Caldense is in fact an architect.

Robledo move from Ibagué to Manizales (Caldas), where he worked for organizations representing small coffee farm owners and workers.  These campaigns allowed him to build a base of support.

From this platform, Robledo launched his campaign to become Governor in 1997, a race he lost against the powerful coalition of Liberal and Conservatives. Robledo did not stand a chance, but came a respectable second, securing over 50 000 votes, a third of those obtained by the eventual winner.

In 2002, Robledo stood in the elections to the Senate, for which, with the backing of MOIR, he managed to win 45,000 votes, taking him for the first time to the Capitolio.

Robledo soon rose to prominence with his forthright views and his terrier-like debating style. Using this profile, Robledo became the voice of the unions, of agricultural organizations and other leftist movements, and cast himself as the opposition the free trade agreements proposed first be Uribe and later by Santos.

In 2006, Robledo joined the Polo Democratic Alternative (PDA), bringing together a collection of hitherto disparate leftist blocks. In the Senate race that year he won 80,000 votes, coming second only to Gustavo Petro in the terms of popularity within the PDA.

Throughout the 2006-10 parliament, Robledo, like Petro, became associated (perhaps too much so, and to the detriment of his other positions) with his fierce criticism of Uribe.

In 2009, the inspector general, Alejandro Ordóñez opened a case against the Senator for alleged ties with the FARC.  Robledo had been mentioned in files on the infamous computer of Raul Reyes (the FARC´s top military commander) which was analyzed following his death in Ecuador, 2008. Robledo denies the links, arguing that the information on the computer was hearsay and did not in any way incriminate him.

Following Robledo´s re-election in 2010, with twice the number of votes in the 2006 elections, he has continued his fight against the government and what he considers to be the unchecked capitalism of its politics.

This Senator is one of Colombia´s top tweeters, giving Uribe a run for his money, and is known for his permanent campaigning style.

Robledo is firmly positioned one the left, very seldom (if ever) venturing towards the centre ground – meaning he stands little chance of being a serious presidential candidate, were he to want to put himself forward.

However, Robledo´s role in Colombian politics is crucial. His opposition, like that of Petro´s during Uribe´s second term, is important for the democratic scrutiny of a Santos administration that controls over 90% of Congress.

Robledo´s opposition is not restricted to those on the centre, or the right, however. He has also been a critic of his old comrade, Gustavo Petro, the current Mayor of Bogotá, whom he accuses of presiding over a crisis in transport in the city.

Whether you are for or against his politics, Robledo is never dull, and is certainly one to watch.