Vargas-Lleras is President Santos' vicepresidential formula for May elections

COLOMBIA - In Brief 24 Feb 2014 by Andrés Escobar Arango

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President Santos has just announced that Germán Vargas-Lleras, his former minister of politics (2010-2012) and housing (2012-2013), will be his vice-presidential candidate for next May elections. Even though the announcement does not come as a surprise, it helps Mr. Santos' intentions in more ways than one. Mr. Vargas-Lleras is one of the most seasoned politicians around so, even if not everyone in the National Unity coalition is necessarily happy with the announcement, the overall sentiment must be that his stature will play an even more important role in the campaign. On top of that, Mr. Vargas-Lleras has high numbers in the polls, which will give President Santos' favorability a welcome boost. It is common knowledge that Mr. Vargas-Lleras wants to be President of Colombia, most probably in 2018. This, in principle, provides the right incentives for him to work for a good second term for President Santos, because otherwise the electorate might not be keen, come 2018, to vote for continuity. Without a doubt, Mr. Vargas-Lleras is now the heavyweight among vice-presidential candidates. Mr. Santos' probability of staying for four more years has just gone up. Taking into account his strong character, quite evident when he was minister, Mr. Vargas-Lleras is sure not to play the silent role Mr. Garzón has played as vice-president during this administration. He will, in all likelihood, become a player in many policy areas, among them security.