Antonio José Navarro Wolff (born 9 July 1948) is an engineer, a former combatant and a
Colombia
Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...
n politician.
Navarro used to be a former
Commandant
Commandant ( or ) is a title often given to the officer in charge of a military (or other uniformed service) training establishment or academy. This usage is common in English-speaking nations. In some countries it may be a military or police ran ...
and leader of the
19th of April Movement
The 19th of April Movement ( es, Movimiento 19 de Abril), or M-19, was a Colombian guerrilla organisation movement. After its demobilization it became a political party, the M-19 Democratic Alliance (), or AD/M-19.
The M-19 traced its ori ...
(M-19), a former
guerrilla movement that operated in
Colombia
Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...
in the 1970s and 1980s. After the
demobilization
Demobilization or demobilisation (see spelling differences) is the process of standing down a nation's armed forces from combat-ready status. This may be as a result of victory in war, or because a crisis has been peacefully resolved and militar ...
through a peace agreement of the M-19, Navarro and others formed the
M-19 Democratic Alliance
The 19th of April Movement ( es, Movimiento 19 de Abril), or M-19, was a Colombian guerrilla organisation movement. After its demobilization it became a political party, the M-19 Democratic Alliance (), or AD/M-19.
The M-19 traced its ori ...
, a political party of which Navarro became a leader of entering mainstream politics in Colombia. In 1990 he ran as a M-19 political candidate during the
Colombian presidential elections finishing third and receiving 12.48% of the votes; he ran again unsuccessfully in the
1994 presidential election, and attempted to run for the
2006 presidential elections
Presidential elections were held in Bulgaria on 22 October 2006, as decided on 27 July 2006 by the Bulgarian Parliament. The runoff took place on 29 October 2006, while the electoral campaign spanned 19 September – 20 October. At the election, ...
but lost the candidacy of his party during the
primaries
Primary elections, or direct primary are a voting process by which voters can indicate their preference for their party's candidate, or a candidate in general, in an upcoming general election, local election, or by-election. Depending on the c ...
. In 1991 he was elected to the
National Constituent Assembly, of which became Co-President along with
Álvaro Gómez Hurtado
Álvaro Gómez Hurtado (May 8, 1919 – November 2, 1995) was a Colombian lawyer, politician, journalist and active member of the Colombian Conservative Party. Gómez was a son of the former President of Colombia, Laureano Gómez. He is mostly ...
and
Horacio Serpa Uribe
Horacio Serpa Uribe (4 January 1943 – 31 October 2020) was a Colombian lawyer, politician and Senator. Serpa ran as the Colombian Liberal Party candidate for President on three occasions; in 1998, 2002, and 2006. He previously served as co ...
; it was this Assembly that drafted the
Colombian Constitution of 1991
The Political Constitution of Colombia of 1991 ( es, Constitución Política de Colombia de 1991), is the Constitution of the Republic of Colombia. It was promulgated in Constitutional Gazette number 114 on Thursday, July 4, 1991, and is also ...
which remains the supreme law of the country.
Navarro has also served in
Congress
A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of a ...
, being elected to serve both in the
Chamber
Chamber or the chamber may refer to:
In government and organizations
* Chamber of commerce, an organization of business owners to promote commercial interests
*Legislative chamber, in politics
* Debate chamber, the space or room that houses delib ...
from 1998 to 2002, and the
Senate
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
from 2002 to 2006 and again since 2014; and elected Mayor of
Pasto
Pasto, officially San Juan de Pasto (; "Saint John of Pasto"), is the capital of the department of Nariño, in southern Colombia. Pasto was founded in 1537 and named after indigenous people of the area. In the 2018 census, the city had app ...
serving from 1995 to 1998, and Governor of
Nariño from 2008 to 2012.
Before M-19
Antonio José was born on 9 July 1948 in
Pasto
Pasto, officially San Juan de Pasto (; "Saint John of Pasto"), is the capital of the department of Nariño, in southern Colombia. Pasto was founded in 1537 and named after indigenous people of the area. In the 2018 census, the city had app ...
to Rafael Navarro Uribe and María Emma Wolff Pizarro. In 1972, Navarro graduated as a sanitary engineer from the
University of Valle
The University of Valle ( es, Universidad del Valle), also called Univalle, is a public, departmental, coeducational, research university based primarily in the city of Cali, Valle del Cauca, Colombia. It is the largest higher education inst ...
, after which he took postgraduate courses and eventually became a professor at the same university. He studied Environmental Engineering at
Loughborough University
Loughborough University (abbreviated as ''Lough'' or ''Lboro'' for post-nominals) is a public research university in the market town of Loughborough, Leicestershire, England. It has been a university since 1966, but it dates back to 1909, when L ...
,
UK in 1976 on a scholarship from the
Rockefeller Foundation
The Rockefeller Foundation is an American private foundation and philanthropic medical research and arts funding organization based at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City. The second-oldest major philanthropic institution in America, after the Carneg ...
, the
British Council
The British Council is a British organisation specialising in international cultural and educational opportunities. It works in over 100 countries: promoting a wider knowledge of the United Kingdom and the English language (and the Welsh lan ...
and the
International Development Research Center
The International Development Research Centre (IDRC; french: Centre de recherches pour le développement international, ''CRDI'') is a Canadian federal Crown corporation that funds research and innovation within and alongside developing region ...
(IDRC) of
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
.
As a sanitary engineer, he was an adviser of the Social Medicine Department of the University of Valle (1972), coordinator of the Multidisciplinary Research Centre for Rural Development (CIMDER, 1972–1977), international adviser of the IDRC (1976–1978), Professor at the University of Valle (1972–1978), director of the Curriculum of Sanitary Engineering at the university, and a private consultant.
Militancy in M-19
At the end of the 1970s, he became a part of the guerilla group M-19. Within the M-19, Navarro ascended to second-in-command of the organization. One of the most controversial episodes of M-19 was the
take-over of the Palace of Justice by armed guerrillas. They pretended to demand a trial of President
Belisario Betancur
Belisario Betancur Cuartas (4 February 1923 – 7 December 2018) was a Colombian politician who served as the 26th President of Colombia from 1982 to 1986. He was a member of the Colombian Conservative Party. His presidency was noted for its at ...
for violation of the peace accords. During the operation led by security forces to retake the Palace, a large group of guerrillas, civilians, magistrates and soldiers lost their lives— at least 53 civilian casualties were registered, including several members of Colombia's Supreme Court of Justice. The siege has been catalogued as a holocaust and massacre by the
Inter-American Court of Human Rights
The Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR or IACtHR) is an international court based in San José, Costa Rica. Together with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, it was formed by the American Convention on Human Rights, a huma ...
.
Peace negotiations
Navarro coordinated peace negotiations for this movement during President Betancur' government in 1984 and 1985. He was named head of the Commission to organize the National Dialogue, along with
Vera Grabe,
Alfonso Jacquin,
Andrés Almarales and
Israel Santamaría. Talks were broken off, truces failed and the peace process died. In May 1985, the talks collapsed after an attack in a cafeteria in the city of
Cali
Santiago de Cali (), or Cali, is the capital of the Valle del Cauca department, and the most populous city in southwest Colombia, with 2,227,642 residents according to the 2018 census. The city spans with of urban area, making Cali the second ...
, when a soldier threw a grenade that exploded 10 cm away from Navarro, who was severely wounded. The facial nerve that controls the left part the jaw was destroyed and he lost his left leg below the knee. M-19 received news that Navarro was to be attacked in the hospital, so he was evacuated to Mexico where the leg was amputated. He received a
prosthesis
In medicine, a prosthesis (plural: prostheses; from grc, πρόσθεσις, prósthesis, addition, application, attachment), or a prosthetic implant, is an artificial device that replaces a missing body part, which may be lost through trau ...
in Cuba.
Later,
Carlos Pizarro
Carlos may refer to:
Places
;Canada
* Carlos, Alberta, a locality
;United States
* Carlos, Indiana, an unincorporated community
* Carlos, Maryland, a place in Allegany County
* Carlos, Minnesota, a small city
* Carlos, West Virginia
;Elsewhere ...
carried out peace negotiations with the government of President
Virgilio Barco
Virgilio Barco Vargas (17 September 1921 – 20 May 1997) was a Colombian politician and civil engineer who served as the 27th President of Colombia serving from 7 August 1986 to 7 August 1990.
Early life
Barco was born in Cúcuta in the Nort ...
. The peace agreement was on signed 11 March 1990.
After signing the peace agreement, M-19 nominated its leader,
Carlos Pizarro Leongómez
Carlos Pizarro Leongómez (6 June 1951 – 26 April 1990) was the fourth commander of the Colombian guerrilla group 19th of April Movement (''Movimiento 19 de Abril'') (M-19). Pizarro later ran for president of Colombia after the demobilization ...
to run as candidate for the presidency, but he was assassinated on a commercial flight from Bogotá to Barranquilla on 26 April 1990. After Pizarro's burial, the leaders of M-19 met and decided to continue with the peace process. They nominated Navarro for the presidency, who came in third in the balloting.
Political life
In the 2000s, M-19 entered a leftist coalition of parties called the
Alternative Democratic Pole
The Alternative Democratic Pole (Spanish: ''Polo Democrático Alternativo'' or PDA) is a left-wing political party in Colombia.
It was founded as a political alliance of the Independent Democratic Pole (PDI) and the Democratic Alternative (AD) ...
and Navarro became its Secretary General.
Antonio Navarro has been mayor of the city of
Pasto
Pasto, officially San Juan de Pasto (; "Saint John of Pasto"), is the capital of the department of Nariño, in southern Colombia. Pasto was founded in 1537 and named after indigenous people of the area. In the 2018 census, the city had app ...
,
Congressman of Colombia and was one of the three collegiate presidents of the
Constituent Assembly of Colombia
The Constituent Assembly of Colombia ( es, Asamblea Nacional Constituyente de Colombia) was formed on February 5, 1991, to draft the Colombian Constitution of 1991. It was dissolved in June 1991, after the new document was adopted nationwide.
B ...
writing the
Colombian Constitution of 1991
The Political Constitution of Colombia of 1991 ( es, Constitución Política de Colombia de 1991), is the Constitution of the Republic of Colombia. It was promulgated in Constitutional Gazette number 114 on Thursday, July 4, 1991, and is also ...
. He has served as Colombian Minister of Health.
In 2006, he ran for the
presidency of Colombia
A presidency is an Administration (government), administration or the Executive (government), executive, the collective administrative and governmental entity that exists around an office of President (government title), president of a state or nat ...
, but lost to
Carlos Gaviria
Carlos may refer to:
Places
;Canada
* Carlos, Alberta, a locality
;United States
* Carlos, Indiana, an unincorporated community
* Carlos, Maryland, a place in Allegany County
* Carlos, Minnesota, a small city
* Carlos, West Virginia
;Elsewhere ...
in the party primaries. He then ran for the
Senate
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
and was elected. After he is elected governor of Nariño of the PDA. Later after the election of
Gustavo Petro
Gustavo Francisco Petro Urrego (; born 19 April 1960) is a Colombian economist, politician, and former guerrilla fighter who is the current president of Colombia since 2022. After taking office, Petro was considered by analysts as Colombia's ...
as mayor of Bogotá, Navarro was appointed Secretary of Government which takes turn as spokesman for the mayor. However resignation for personal reasons in late March 2012 in charge subsequently assuming the Progressive Movement spokesperson. He is also a member of Washington D.C. based think tank the
Inter-American Dialogue.
Popular culture
Navarro is portrayed by the actor
Fabio Rubiano as the character of Marco Navia in TV series ''
Escobar, el patrón del mal
''Escobar: El Patrón del Mal'' (international title: ''Pablo Escobar, The Drug Lord''; also known as ''Pablo Escobar: El Patrón del Mal'') is a 2012 Colombian telenovela produced and broadcast on Caracol TV, based on a true story about the lif ...
''.
References
Polo Democratico Alternativo - Antonio Navarro Wolff
{{DEFAULTSORT:Navarro Wolff, Antonio Jose
1948 births
Living people
Colombian people of German descent
University of Valle alumni
Alumni of Loughborough University
Colombian industrial engineers
University of Valle faculty
19th of April Movement members
Colombian amputees
Candidates for President of Colombia
Members of the Constituent Assembly of Colombia
Mayors of places in Colombia
People from Pasto, Colombia
Members of the Chamber of Representatives of Colombia
Members of the Senate of Colombia
Governors of Nariño Department
Members of the Inter-American Dialogue