Fascinating news from Colombia, reported by Reuters for Yahoo News. The peace deal negotiated in Cuba between the FARC and the government, which was up for a referendum, was turned down by the Colombian electorate by a razor-thin margin of 50.23 percent against to 49.76 percent in favor.
Ahead of the referendum, polls erroneously showed a clear margin in favor. This is another situation like Brexit where opinion polling didn't give an accurate picture of public sentiment.
Colombian President Santos had pushed for approval. Former President Uribe had opposed the deal, and is the clear winner going forward.
Reuters suggests Colombians opposed allowing the FARC rebels, who had killed many, to escape prison time. They also opposed members of the group entering the legislature.
Perhaps the world's longest-running war (52 years) will continue. Or maybe the government can use the vote as leverage to get a better deal from FARC, one the electorate will approve?
