Colombia President Juan Manuel Santos on Thursday took on the capital Bogota at the beginning of his re-election campaign, presenting a “Bogota pact” for what he called a city that “seems to have lost its way.”
Joined by his running mate German Vargas in the city’s Kennedy district, Santos presented a rough, 10-point outline for his “Bogota Pact.”
Not to be confused with the Pan-American Union’s 1948 American Treaty on Pacific Settlement, also known as the Pact of Bogota, Santos’ plan would reportedly cover a wide range of social and economic issues facing the city, including health, education, housing, security, infrastructure, resource management and environmental issues.
The highlights of the proposal, as outlined Friday, include a “high-quality integrated health system” in the capital as well as a focus on making school a “reality” for those children that do not have access to education.
Infrastructure and transport will also be one of the primary concerns for the citizens of Bogota who have been protesting in the last week over the state of the public transport system.
MORE: Bogota public transport riots leave at least 30 injured and 8 in jail
Bogota is seen as a pivotal voting district for presidential elections, this year scheduled for May. Santos, the consistent frontrunner in national polls, announced his candidacy some time ago, but did not register officially until this week.
Sources
- Juan Manuel Santos debutó como presidente-candidato (W Radio)
- Santos arranca campaña en Bogotá con diez propuestas sobre la mesa (El Espectador)
