Rebel group FARC on Tuesday proposed having designated congressional seats for Colombian farmers according to local media.
Colombia and the rebels on Monday began the 14th round of peace talks, discussing the FARC’s political participation post conflict; the second of a five-point agenda.
MORE: Text of deal between Colombia’s government and rebel group FARC to end armed conflict
According to newspaper El Tiempo, the rebel group asserted that just as Afro-Colombians and indigenous groups have special representation, the country’s farmers also have a right to participation in the legislature.
The FARC proposed to reserve five seats for the farmers; Three in the House and two in the Senate.
Currently, the Senate has two spaces reserved for indigenous congressmen and the House has one indigenous representative and two Afro-Colombian representatives.
“We’re not trying to convert minorities into majorities [with reserving seats in congress],” said Conservative Senator Efrain Cepeda to newspaper El Tiempo.
Alternative Democratic Pole Senator Luis Avellaneda claimed to be skeptical about the benefits that would come from the reorganization of seats that would come with a structural expansion of the government.
“In the case of farmers, there should be reform so that the departments that have a majority of farmers should have representation,” said Guillermo Rivera of the Liberal Party.
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