Horacio Serpa Uribe (4 January 1943 – 31 October 2020)
was a Colombian lawyer, politician and
Senator
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 ...
. Serpa ran as the
Colombian Liberal Party
The Colombian Liberal Party ( es, Partido Liberal Colombiano; PLC) is a centre to centre-left political party in Colombia. It was founded as a classical liberal party but later developed a more social-democratic tradition, joining the Socialis ...
candidate for
President on three occasions; in 1998, 2002, and 2006. He previously served as
congressman
A Member of Congress (MOC) is a person who has been appointed or elected and inducted into an official body called a congress, typically to represent a particular constituency in a legislature. The term member of parliament (MP) is an equivalen ...
for
Santander
Santander may refer to:
Places
* Santander, Spain, a port city and capital of the autonomous community of Cantabria, Spain
* Santander Department, a department of Colombia
* Santander State, former state of Colombia
* Santander de Quilichao, a m ...
as
Senator
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 ...
,
Inspector General of Colombia
The Office of the Inspector General of Colombia ( es, Procuraduría General de Colombia) is a Colombian independent, public institution overseeing the public conduct of those in authority or in charge of exercising a public office, and of overs ...
, president of the
National Constituent Assembly, Minister of the Interior, and as Ambassador to the
Organization of American States
The Organization of American States (OAS; es, Organización de los Estados Americanos, pt, Organização dos Estados Americanos, french: Organisation des États américains; ''OEA'') is an international organization that was founded on 30 April ...
. He was also involved in the
8000 process scandal in which money from the
Cali Cartel
The Cali Cartel ( es, Cartel de Cali) was a drug cartel based in southern Colombia, around the city of Cali and the Valle del Cauca. Its founders were the brothers Gilberto Rodríguez Orejuela and Miguel Rodríguez Orejuela. They broke away fr ...
entered the presidential campaign of
Liberal
Liberal or liberalism may refer to:
Politics
* a supporter of liberalism
** Liberalism by country
* an adherent of a Liberal Party
* Liberalism (international relations)
* Sexually liberal feminism
* Social liberalism
Arts, entertainment and m ...
candidate
Ernesto Samper
Ernesto Samper Pizano (born 3 August 1950) is a Colombian politician. Samper is a member of the influential Samper family. He served as the President of Colombia from 1994 to 1998, representing the Liberal Party. From 2014 to 2017 he served as ...
. In 2007 Serpa ran for the
governorship
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
of
Santander Department and was elected on 28 October in the
regional elections.
Political career
Horacio Serpa worked in three branches of government in Colombia. After graduating as a lawyer from the ''
Universidad del Atlántico'' in
Barranquilla
Barranquilla () is the capital district of Atlántico Department in Colombia. It is located near the Caribbean Sea and is the largest city and third port in the Caribbean Coast region; as of 2018 it had a population of 1,206,319, making it Col ...
, Serpa went back to his native Santander Department and became a judge for the town of
Tona. He later became a Penal Judge in the town of
San Vicente de Chucurí
San Vicente de Chucurí is a town and municipality in the Santander Department in northeastern Colombia. Famous for its cocoa, San Vicente was embroiled in the armed conflict of the 1980s.
References
External links
Official web site
Mu ...
and then Civil Municipal Judge in
Barrancabermeja
Barrancabermeja is a city in Colombia, located on the shore of the Magdalena River, in the western part of the department of Santander. It is home to the largest oil refinery in the country, under direct management of ECOPETROL. Barrancabermeja ...
. In Barrancabermeja Serpa also served as Criminal Investigator, Circuit Penal Judge and Superior Judge. During this time Serpa became interested in politics and began participating actively in the
Liberal Revolutionary Movement (MRL) as member of the youths, this movement had been founded by
Alfonso López Michelsen
Alfonso López Michelsen (30 June 1913 – 11 July 2007) was a Colombian politician and lawyer who served as the 24th President of Colombia from 1974 to 1978. He was nicknamed "El Pollo" (The Chicken), a popular Colombian idiom for people with ...
.
Serpa concentrated his political efforts in the ''Magdalena medio'' (
Middle Magdalena Region
Middle or The Middle may refer to:
* Centre (geometry), the point equally distant from the outer limits.
Places
* Middle (sheading), a subdivision of the Isle of Man
* Middle Bay (disambiguation)
* Middle Brook (disambiguation)
* Middle Creek ( ...
), a convulsed region in which the
ELN guerrilla was born. In 1970 Serpa was appointed Mayor of Barrancabermeja by
Alfonso Gómez Gómez
Alphons (Latinized ''Alphonsus'', ''Adelphonsus'', or ''Adefonsus'') is a male given name recorded from the 8th century (Alfonso I of Asturias, r. 739–757) in the Christian successor states of the Visigothic kingdom in the Iberian peninsula. ...
and later became Secretary of Education for the Santander Department.
In the legislative branch Serpa served as councilman for the town of Barrancabermeja and later as
National Chamber of Representatives member representing Santander Department as replacement for congressman Rogelio Ayala in 1974. Serpa was re-elected for the periods of 1978 and 1982 under a movement founded by him, the
Authentic Liberal Leftist Front (''Frente de Izquierda Liberal Auténtico'', FILA) aligned with the official Liberal party.
In the Chamber of Representatives, Serpa became President of the Accusations Commission and President of the Congress of the Republic Plan Commission. In 1985 Serpa 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. In 1998 Serpa was appointed
Inspector General of Colombia
The Office of the Inspector General of Colombia ( es, Procuraduría General de Colombia) is a Colombian independent, public institution overseeing the public conduct of those in authority or in charge of exercising a public office, and of overs ...
. He also served as Minister of Government, Minister of Interior, Presidential Peace Advisor and Ministry Delegate in Presidential Functions during the Liberal presidencies of
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 ...
(1986–1990) and
Ernesto Samper
Ernesto Samper Pizano (born 3 August 1950) is a Colombian politician. Samper is a member of the influential Samper family. He served as the President of Colombia from 1994 to 1998, representing the Liberal Party. From 2014 to 2017 he served as ...
(1994–1998).
Serpa was later elected to the
National Constituent Assembly in 1991 in which he shared a collegiate presidency with
Antonio Navarro Wolff
Antonio José Navarro Wolff (born 9 July 1948) is an engineer, a former combatant and a Colombian politician.
Navarro used to be a former Commandant and leader of the 19th of April Movement (M-19), a former guerrilla movement that operated in C ...
(former member of the
M-19 guerrillas) and
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 ...
(representative of the
Conservative Party
The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right.
Political parties called The Conservative P ...
) to create 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 ...
.
After the creation of the new constitution Serpa continued as President of Liberal Directorate in Santander Department and President of the Central Politics Commission of the Liberal Party. He was then prospect for presidential candidate in 1998, but was shaded by Ernesto Samper. Serpa was then elected National Director of the Liberal party for the period 1998 to 1999. During the government of
Álvaro Uribe
Álvaro Uribe Vélez (born 4 July 1952) is a Colombian politician who served as the 31st President of Colombia from 7 August 2002 to 7 August 2010.
Uribe started his political career in his home department of Antioquia. He held offices in t ...
, Serpa was appointed ambassador of Colombia to the Organization of American States (OAS) and he also disputed the presidential bids of 2002 and 2006.
8000 Process involvement
In 1981 Serpa met
Ernesto Samper Pizano
Ernesto Samper Pizano (born 3 August 1950) is a Colombian politician. Samper is a member of the influential Samper family. He served as the President of Colombia from 1994 to 1998, representing the Liberal Party. From 2014 to 2017 he served as ...
, who was working as debate chief of
Alfonso López Michelsen
Alfonso López Michelsen (30 June 1913 – 11 July 2007) was a Colombian politician and lawyer who served as the 24th President of Colombia from 1974 to 1978. He was nicknamed "El Pollo" (The Chicken), a popular Colombian idiom for people with ...
's second presidential campaign and became good friends. For the presidential campaign of 1990 Samper became a candidate and Serpa collaborated with his efforts in the Santander Department, his region of influence, while being the leader of his movement: the FILA. But Samper lost the elections.
In the 1994 elections, Serpa became Debate Chief of Samper's presidential campaign and this time Samper was elected president of Colombia. On 20 June 1994, the opposing presidential candidate
Andrés Pastrana
Andres or Andrés may refer to:
*Andres, Illinois, an unincorporated community in Will County, Illinois, US
*Andres, Pas-de-Calais, a commune in Pas-de-Calais, France
*Andres (name)
*Hurricane Andres
* "Andres" (song), a 1994 song by L7
See also ...
then made public the ''
Narcocassettes'' a series of telephone recordings in which members of the
Cali drug cartel mainly journalist
Alberto Giraldo talked with
Gilberto
Gilberto is the Iberian and Italian version of the originally Norman-French given name ''Gilbert'', used in Italian, Portuguese and Spanish languages. In Galician, it's spelled Xilberto or Xilberte. ''Gilbert'' is ultimately derived from the Germ ...
and
Miguel Rodríguez Orejuela
Miguel Ángel Rodríguez Orejuela (born August 15, 1943) is a convicted Colombian drug lord, formerly one of the leaders of the Cali Cartel, based in the city of Cali. He is the younger brother of Gilberto Rodríguez Orejuela. He married Miss Colo ...
regarding the financing of the Samper campaign for the presidency.
The
Supreme Court
A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...
then opened an investigation which was dubbed the ''
Proceso 8000
8,000 Process (from the es, Proceso 8.000) is the unofficial name of the legal investigation for the events surrounding accusations about the Colombian Liberal Party candidate Ernesto Samper's 1994 campaign for President of Colombia being parti ...
''. Serpa defended Samper against these allegations of drug money entering the campaign in which he was also involved. The relations with the United States government a major contributor to the drug effort in Colombia deteriorated. Samper and most of his collaborators were absolved from any wrongdoing with the exception of
Fernando Botero
Fernando Botero Angulo (born 19 April 1932) is a Colombian figurative artist and sculptor, born in Medellín. His signature style, also known as "Boterismo", depicts people and figures in large, exaggerated volume, which can represent political ...
and
Santiago Medina. But the scandal involved a dozen members of Congress and numerous politicians and businessmen with the Cali cartel. After this incident Serpa's credibility maintained a low level with Colombians for supporting Samper, as well as responding to criticism with aggravating words.
Peace negotiator
During his time as congressman, Serpa was always assisting and representing the government in conflicts between worker unions, social conflicts and the government mainly in the Santander Department where he had his political niche. Serpa has always been in favor of a peacefully negotiated solution. During the government of
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 ...
, Serpa was invited to be a negotiator between the
ELN guerrillas and was part of numerous peace commissions that never achieved successful results.
During the government of
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 ...
, Serpa was appointed Minister of Government in which he collaborated in setting a demobilization timetable for the
EPL, the
PRT and the
Quintín Lame Movement. In 1992 under the government of
César Gaviria
César Augusto Gaviria Trujillo ( ; born 31 March 1947) is a Colombian economist and politician who served as the President of Colombia from 1990 to 1994, Secretary General of the Organization of American States from 1994 to 2004 and National Di ...
Serpa led the failed negotiation attempts with the ELN guerrillas in
Tlaxcala
Tlaxcala (; , ; from nah, Tlaxcallān ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Tlaxcala ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Tlaxcala), is one of the 32 states which comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 60 municipaliti ...
, Mexico.
During the government of Samper, Serpa intended to negotiate with the
FARC guerrillas. The group asked for the demilitarization of
La Uribe,
Meta
Meta (from the Greek μετά, '' meta'', meaning "after" or "beyond") is a prefix meaning "more comprehensive" or "transcending".
In modern nomenclature, ''meta''- can also serve as a prefix meaning self-referential, as a field of study or ende ...
, a region in central Colombia, but were unsuccessful. Serpa opposed the
CONVIVIR groups created by
Fernando Botero
Fernando Botero Angulo (born 19 April 1932) is a Colombian figurative artist and sculptor, born in Medellín. His signature style, also known as "Boterismo", depicts people and figures in large, exaggerated volume, which can represent political ...
, a group of self-defense groups intended to improve security in areas were the government couldn't reach. Despite his opposition the plan of the CONVIVIR was approved. He then traveled to
Bonn
The federal city of Bonn ( lat, Bonna) is a city on the banks of the Rhine in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, with a population of over 300,000. About south-southeast of Cologne, Bonn is in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ruhr r ...
, Germany, where the Colombian government and local government of Bonn were again trying to negotiate with the ELN guerrillas, but these peace talks also failed.
Presidential campaign results for Serpa
1998
''First round''
* Horacio Serpa U. (Vice:
María Emma Mejía): 3,647,007 ''(34.64%)''
*
Andrés Pastrana
Andres or Andrés may refer to:
*Andres, Illinois, an unincorporated community in Will County, Illinois, US
*Andres, Pas-de-Calais, a commune in Pas-de-Calais, France
*Andres (name)
*Hurricane Andres
* "Andres" (song), a 1994 song by L7
See also ...
(Vice:
Gustavo Bell): 3,613,278 ''(34.32%)''
''Second round''
*
Andrés Pastrana
Andres or Andrés may refer to:
*Andres, Illinois, an unincorporated community in Will County, Illinois, US
*Andres, Pas-de-Calais, a commune in Pas-de-Calais, France
*Andres (name)
*Hurricane Andres
* "Andres" (song), a 1994 song by L7
See also ...
: 6,086,507 ''(50.39%)''
* Horacio Serpa: 5,620,719 ''(46.53%)''
2002
*
Álvaro Uribe
Álvaro Uribe Vélez (born 4 July 1952) is a Colombian politician who served as the 31st President of Colombia from 7 August 2002 to 7 August 2010.
Uribe started his political career in his home department of Antioquia. He held offices in t ...
(Vice:
Francisco Santos Calderón
Francisco Santos Calderón (born 14 August 1961), also known as Pacho Santos, is a Colombian politician and journalist. Santos was elected as Álvaro Uribe's running mate and became Vice President in 2002. Santos was re-elected in 2006 for a se ...
): 5.862.655 ''(53.048%)''
* Horacio Serpa: (Vice:
José Gregorio Hernández Galindo): 3.514.779 ''(31.803%)''
This election was won by Álvaro Uribe by a majority vote of half plus one vote, which according to the
1991 Constitution made a secondary election unnecessary. After these negative results for his political career Serpa said that he would never run for the presidency ever again. A few years later he changed his position and after quitting his post as ambassador to the
Organization of American States
The Organization of American States (OAS; es, Organización de los Estados Americanos, pt, Organização dos Estados Americanos, french: Organisation des États américains; ''OEA'') is an international organization that was founded on 30 April ...
(OAS), he decided to run again for the presidency. In 2005 he was appointed vice-president of the
Socialist International
The Socialist International (SI) is a political international or worldwide organisation of political parties which seek to establish democratic socialism. It consists mostly of socialist and labour-oriented political parties and organisations. ...
.
2006
On 12 March 2006 Serpa was selected as candidate for the
Colombian Liberal Party
The Colombian Liberal Party ( es, Partido Liberal Colombiano; PLC) is a centre to centre-left political party in Colombia. It was founded as a classical liberal party but later developed a more social-democratic tradition, joining the Socialis ...
for the presidency of Colombia.
*
Álvaro Uribe
Álvaro Uribe Vélez (born 4 July 1952) is a Colombian politician who served as the 31st President of Colombia from 7 August 2002 to 7 August 2010.
Uribe started his political career in his home department of Antioquia. He held offices in t ...
(Vice president:
Francisco Santos): 7,397,835 ''(62.35%)''
*
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 ...
(Vice president: Patricia Lara): 2,613,157 ''(22.02%)''
* Horacio Serpa: (Vice president :
Luis Iván Marulanda Gómez): 1,404,235 ''(11.83%)''
Candidate for Governor of Santander
On 28 October 2007 Serpa was elected
Governor of the Department of Santander by popular vote in the
regional elections. He took office on 1 January 2008.
See also
*
Ernesto Samper
Ernesto Samper Pizano (born 3 August 1950) is a Colombian politician. Samper is a member of the influential Samper family. He served as the President of Colombia from 1994 to 1998, representing the Liberal Party. From 2014 to 2017 he served as ...
*
8000 Process
8 (eight) is the natural number following 7 and preceding 9.
In mathematics
8 is:
* a composite number, its proper divisors being , , and . It is twice 4 or four times 2.
* a power of two, being 2 (two cubed), and is the first number of t ...
*
Cali Cartel
The Cali Cartel ( es, Cartel de Cali) was a drug cartel based in southern Colombia, around the city of Cali and the Valle del Cauca. Its founders were the brothers Gilberto Rodríguez Orejuela and Miguel Rodríguez Orejuela. They broke away fr ...
References
External links
Presidential campaign 2002
{{DEFAULTSORT:Serpa Uribe, Horacio
1943 births
2020 deaths
Candidates for President of Colombia
20th-century Colombian judges
Colombian Liberal Party politicians
Colombian Ministers of Government
Colombian Ministers of the Interior
Colombian political scientists
Free University of Colombia faculty
Governors of Santander Department
Inspectors General of Colombia
Mayors of places in Colombia
Members of the Chamber of Representatives of Colombia
Members of the Constituent Assembly of Colombia
Members of the Senate of Colombia
People from Bucaramanga
Permanent Representatives of Colombia to the Organization of American States
Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in Colombia
University of Atlántico alumni