Commons (Colombian political party)

The Commons (Spanish: Comunes), previously Common Alternative Revolutionary Force (Spanish: Fuerza Alternativa Revolucionaria del Común, FARC)[3] until 24 January 2021, is a communist political party in Colombia, established in 2017 as the political successor of the former rebel group the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). The peace accords agreed upon by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia and the Colombian government in 2016 provided for the FARC's participation in politics as a legal, registered political party following its successful disarmament.

Commons
Comunes
PresidentTimoleón Jiménez
Founded1 September 2017 (2017-09-01)
Legalised31 October 2017
Preceded byFARC
CCCP
Youth wingJóvenes del Común
Women's and LGBT wingComuneras - Mujeres y Diversidades
IdeologyCommunism
Marxism–Leninism[1]
Bolivarianism
Political positionFar-left
National affiliationHistoric Pact for Colombia
International affiliationIMCWP[2]
Colors  Red
  Green
  White
Chamber of Representatives
5 / 188
Senate
5 / 108
Governors
0 / 32
Mayors
0 / 1,102
Website
Comunes

The party was founded after a failed referendum in October 2016 with the majority of Colombian voters voting to reject the peace agreement.[4] The "yes" campaign to accept the peace negotiations were pushed by President Santos, while the "no" campaign to reject the agreement was backed by former president Álvaro Uribe. The "no" vote won with 50.2% of the vote. The failed referendum came after four years of peace negotiations. After mild alterations to the peace agreements, the government approved the new deal by pushing it through Congress.[5] This has led to some controversy with those who voted no arguing that the deal offered too much leniency.[6]

Founding Congress

The party's founding congress was held in the Bogota Convention Centre from August 28 to August 31, 2017 with the participation of one thousand delegates, including former FARC militants and members of the Colombian Clandestine Communist Party,[7] as well as some 200 invitees from various sectors of Colombian society and delegations from left-wing groups in other countries, primarily those in Latin America and the Caribbean.[8] The congress concluded on September 1 with the unveiling of the new party in Bogotá's Plaza Bolívar, with over ten thousand people in attendance. In his speech, party leader Timoleón Jiménez put forth a proposal for a national transition government for the 2018–2022 term.[9]

The National Directorate is made up of 111 members. In total, 26 women were elected, representing 23% of the new party's leadership.[10]

The party's original name, chosen to maintain the acronym FARC used by its armed predecessor, was agreed upon on 31 August 2017 during the party's founding congress, prevailing over the other proposed name, Nueva Colombia ("New Colombia") by 628 votes. The party's logo, a design with a rose and a red star in the center, was revealed at the same time.[11]

Goals

Comunes will have 10 automatic seats in Congress (5 each in the Senate and Chamber of Representatives) through 2026 per the deal reached via the accord.[12] They will continue to attempt to fight poverty and corruption, specifically in rural areas, focusing on land reform.[13] They are looking to form a coalition with other communist groups to gain additional seats in Congress, as they remain ideologically Marxist.

Election results

House of Representatives
Election year # of
overall votes		  % of
overall vote		 Rank # of
overall seats won		 +/– Status
2018 32,636 0.2% 21st
5 / 172
 New Opposition
2022 21,423 0.13%
5 / 172
 Steady 0 Government

Senate
Election year # of
overall votes		  % of
overall vote		 Rank # of
overall seats won		 +/– Status
2018 52,532 0.36% 14th
5 / 108
 New Opposition
2022 25,708 0.15%
5 / 108
 Steady 0 Government

See also

References
  1. "Atención! Estos son los estatutos de la Fuerza Alternativa Revolucionaria del Común" [Attention! These are the statutes of the Alternative Revolutionary Force of the Common] (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 7 November 2017. Retrieved 9 November 2017.
  2. "Communist and Workers' Parties". SolidNet. Retrieved 16 February 2019.
  3. "Colombia's FARC Unveils New Political Party". CNN. 31 August 2017. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
  4. "Colombia referendum: Voters reject Farc peace deal". BBC News. 3 October 2016. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
  5. "Colombia's Congress Approves Peace Accord With FARC". The New York Times. 30 November 2016. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
  6. "In U.S., Colombians React to Historic 'No' on Peace Accord". NBC News. 3 October 2016. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
  7. "Así llegarán las Farc al Congreso" [This is how the FARC will arrive in Congress]. El Espectador (in Spanish). 28 August 2017. Archived from the original on 3 September 2017. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
  8. "Fuerza Alternativa Revolucionaria del Común" [Revolutionary Alternative Force of the Common] (in Spanish). 2 September 2017. Archived from the original on 3 September 2017. Retrieved 2 September 2017.
  9. "El día en que las Farc se tomaron la plaza de Bolivar" [The day the FARC took over the Plaza de Bolivar] (in Spanish). Las2orillas. 2 September 2017. Archived from the original on 3 September 2017. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
  10. "111 miembros conforman dirección nacional de las Farc" [111 members make up the national leadership of the FARC] (in Spanish). Vanguardia.com. 2 September 2017.
  11. "Con nuevo logo y nombre las Farc entran en la política" [With a new logo and name, the FARC enter politics] (in Spanish). Caracol Radio. 1 September 2017. Retrieved 2 September 2017.
  12. "Colombia clears path for former FARC members to hold office". CNN. 28 April 2017. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
  13. "Colombia's FARC political party looks to coalition for 2018 elections". Reuters. 1 September 2017. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
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