PRE-ELECTION POLITICAL ACTIVITIES

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82-00457R002800240004-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: November 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 14, 2000
• Sequence Number: 4
• Publication Date: June 7, 1949
• Content Type: REPORT

25X1A
ed For ReleaS 2tk(f585%1'~4'~f~82-0041~i'i2~
COUNTRY Colombia
Ti REPORT fr) NO.
SUBJECT Pre-Election Political .4 vi ties
Af._
25X1A
PLACE
AC' U?RED
25X1A
DATE 0 INFO.
25X1X
DIaTE DISTR. "I JUN, -;.949
NO. OF PACES 2
NO. OF ENCLS.
(LISTED BELOW)
SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT NO.
.1. Uith loss than one month to co to the congressional elections in Colo,:i:,i
the two main. politic.->l sties, the conservatives and Liberals, were, intenci-
fC .nr; their activities, with both sites confi-3ent of obtaining; a majority of
enresentativeso Although there are no
oca s in the :3ational.:Ious o of 11
statistics; ivailabla on which to base an aeeuraate forecast of the June
elections, a Liberal Party plebiscite hole, through the country on 24 April
indicated that the leftist Liberal groups had obtained control of the lar[or
cities, but at that time no returns had been received from the smaller towns.
However, in early May it was reported that the two parties were equally
balanced, and for that reason have intensified their activities in order to
gain the few doubtful posts that wo,tld give then: the majority and control of
the lower house.
2, The Conservative Party is apparently fairly unified in spite of the
opposition of some of its no-7bers to President 1ariano Ospina Perez' policy
of a "national union" government, The Del rtrsental Co: m_ittee of Cundinar,.arca
Is in. complete disagreement with this policy and in March called upon the
Conservative ministers to rooign from the Cabinet in opposition to the program
being followed by the rational Conservative Directorate, Later both the
Co -tservrative and Liberal members of the Cabinet resigned.. This crisis was
caused by the desire of Conservative groups to -nnove Dario Echandia, Liberal
Atisiister of ' Go raaa?rht,, from his post as rreU as Edo,ardo Estate Arzgol.,
Conservative Minister of Foreign Affairs, who has supported Echandia0 President
Osnina Perez promptly refilled his Cabinet and, although the Conservatives
have a majority, his actions were commended by the Liberal press as an endeavor
to maintain "union national"
3, The Departmental Ct ittee of Cundinanarca for some time opposed the r:iilitany
plans forriulated by Colonel I a-nuel Agudelo for use by the Conservative Party
in case of an emergency. However, in March they made preliminary contacts with
:iuads to stating they are anxious to put his plan of operation into effect.
tigudelo has been reluctant to cooperate with the Departmental Com itteo
inasmuch as his military mars are being considered by the Irational Directorate
4. In an effort to unify their party, the Liberal Directorate issued an appeal
in March to all dissident groups, particularly the "comando" groups which had
been founded by Jorge Ur:t itii? s - and which latex- refused to accede to the
UU NTIAL
CLASSIFICATION
ESTATE ; ~
NAVY , l
_
va11e~ ~c is nereby regraded tc
CONFIDENTIAL in accordance with the
l
tt
e
er of 16 October 1c78 from the
Director of Central Intelligence to tie
v HLtU Stat S
Next RA pp eg~FBOr IeIease 000/05/18 : CIA-RDF T`b0457 D'
 iGONFIDENTIAL
o,For Release 20 _ DP82-00457R00280~,W4-5
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