The present Colombian president Alvaro Uribe is from Medellin

Colombian president Alvaro Uribe is from a wealthy landowning family in Medellin and son of Alberto Uribe Sierra and former council person Laura Velez.

Uribe did extremely well at school, studying law at the University of Antioquia. He later attended Harvard University where he took a post-graduate certificate in administration and management and later attended Oxford University on a full scholarship.

His career began at the Empresas Publicas de Medellin (EPM) as their head of assets but was later governor of Antioquia from 1995 to 1997 and then as Senator of Antioquia for two terms, between 1986 to 1994.

Uribe is currently serving his second term as Colombian president after having signed in to office initially in August of 2002. An amendment to the Colombian constitution was approved, permitting him to serve for a second term.

Approval ratings for Uribe have been extremely positive, ranging between 70-80% and he has governed firmly, pushing back the FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia), the National Liberation Army (ELN) and the United Self Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC).

He is perceived as right-wing, busily building the financial foundations of his nation, but those who disprove of him maintain that he does not offer sufficient support for education and social reform but rather, favors the wealthy and commerce.

His policies have been to decrease kidnappings and homicides, improve social justice and to fight the drug trade through the application of force. The results of this have been improved security along major roads between for instance Bogota and Medellin and also from Medellin to the North Eastern coast to Cartagena, Santa Marta and Tolu for instance. This is made possible by the intermittent patrols and check points on all the major highways.

There is talk of Uribe as a candidate for a possible 3rd term, something that naturally a lot of people, especially foreign media, seem highly skeptical of. It is of course a problematic move but there are those that maintain that Colombia needs his firm hand in order to continue building on the momentum and achievements of the last 7-8 years.

Return from Colombian President to History of Colombia