From guns to ballots: FARC's campaign for votes in Colombia

"The guerrillas agreed to lay down their weapons, face justice, and compensate their victims in exchange for political guarantees and government promises to develop poor, rural areas that gave rise to the FARC in the 1960s. To help the FARC transition to electoral politics, the accord gave the former guerrillas 10 seats in Colombia's Congress for two four-year legislative terms a grace period that ends this year."

"Alban, 68, is more accustomed to hiding who he is. At age 12 he joined a clandestine communist youth group then spent 40 years on the run as a high-ranking member of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. Known as the FARC, it used to be the country's largest, and most feared, guerrilla group."

"As a FARC congressman for the past eight years, Alban learned how to write legislation and carry out debates. But to hang onto their jobs, Alban and other FARC lawmakers will have to win thousands of votes. 'This is our first serious campaign,' Alban says. 'It's very difficult.'"

Ten years after signing a peace treaty with the Colombian government, former FARC guerrillas are transitioning from armed conflict to electoral politics. The 2016 accord allowed the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia to lay down weapons and participate in government, granting them ten guaranteed congressional seats for two four-year terms. Luis Alban, a 68-year-old former high-ranking FARC member who spent 40 years as a guerrilla, now campaigns to retain his congressional seat. Unlike warfare, winning votes proves challenging for former combatants. As the grace period for guaranteed seats ends this year, FARC lawmakers must compete in open elections to maintain their positions, requiring them to master unfamiliar electoral strategies.

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