Colombia voters turn down FARC rebel referendum amid calls for renegotiation

Colombians narrowly rejected a peace deal with Marxist insurgents on Sunday, plunging the nation into uncertainty and handing a major defeat to President Juan Manuel Santos, who had staked his reputation on ending the 52-year war. Colombian voters turned down the referendum, which had been expected to pass, by a tiny margin of 50.23 percent to 49.76 as votes were counted from 99.59 percent of voting stations. Opponents of the pact believed it was too soft on the FARC rebels by allowing them to re-enter society, form a political party and escape traditional jail sentences.

I voted no. I don’t want to teach my children that everything can be forgiven.

Alejandro Jaramillo, 35, angered that the rebels would not serve jail time

Before the referendum, Santos, 53, said he had no Plan B and would return Colombia to war if the “no” vote won. Opinion polls had shown he would comfortably win and then be able to start implementing the deal painstakingly negotiated in Cuba over the past four years to end the longest-running conflict in the Americas.

Americas