And I mean way down south…

I am keeping my Colombia-blogging mostly contained to PoliBlog, but I thought I would bring attention to the following NYT piece on the presidential elections:  A Maverick Upends Colombian Politics.

Given that the US spends a rather remarkable amount of money in Colombia (because of the drug war), it is worth keeping track of their politics a lot more than the mass press in the US does.

Colombia has a requirement that the president be elected by 50%+1, which typically requires two rounds.  The first round of the current cycle is set for the end of this month.  Up and until a few weeks ago it seemed almost a sure thing that Juan Manuel Santos, the former Defense Minister is the very popular Uribe administration, would be a shoe-in.  However, former Bogotá mayor Antanas Mockus has started to surge and could very well be the next president of Colombia.

Some background (from posts I have written of late):

• President Mockus?
• More Mockus
• More Polls from Colombia
• Mockus Profile
• Mockus in First Place in Latest Poll from Colombia

See also, Reuters: Colombian candidate Mockus edges over Santos: poll