Abstract

DUQUE DAZA, Javier. Luis Carlos Galán and the Nuevo Liberalismo in Colombia 1979-1989: A Truncated Political Alternative. Desafíos [online]. 2022, vol.34, n.1, e05.  Epub May 15, 2022. ISSN 0124-4035.  https://doi.org/10.12804/revistas.urosario.edu.co/desafios/a.11037.

The article analyzes the case of New Liberalism (NL) in Colombian politics between 1979-1989. I put forth four central ideas: (a) in the context of the factional division of Colombian political parties in the 1980s, the NL faction was created within the Liberal Party; this shook the party's internal organization and its power map; (b) The NL began as a more ideological than pragmatic group, but after electoral setbacks, it took a turn and combined its ideological stance with pragmatism; (c) Factionalism in Colombia at the national level was encouraged by the highly personalistic leadership, the electoral rules and the weak institutionalization of parties. Changes in these factors influenced the return of Luis Carlos Galán to the Liberal party; (d) As a result of political violence, Galán 's career was frustrated and a new leadership that was highly critical of the political regime, parties, and ongoing social problems was prevented from accessing the presidency. The article carries out a case study of Nuevo Liberalismo from a historical perspective, drawing on the contributions of the organizational approach to political parties.

Keywords : Political parties; ideology; leadership; elections; drug trafficking; Colombia.

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