Political Participation in the Peace Accords: the cases of El Salvador and Colombia

Abstract

El Salvador and Colombia represent two cases of Latin American countries that have experienced the scenario of armed struggle by illegal armed groups.  Considering that twenty-six years have already passed since the signing of the Salvadoran Peace Agreement with the FMLN, taking El Salvador as an example can provide insight into the successes and shortcomings of the Colombian case, given that the Peace Agreement with the FARC began its implementation stage only two years ago. In particular, the point of political participation is presented as key for the reincorporation process of the ex-combatants, as it encompasses the demands for access to the political system, which is the reason why both guerrillas emerged historically.  This paper aims to analyze comparatively the degree of implementation of the point of political participation contained in point six of the Chapultepec Agreement and point two of the Havana Agreement.  To this end, a qualitative, descriptive and comparative methodology will be used to establish the differences and similarities in the implementation of the aforementioned point.  The analysis of five variables that were established to compare the content of the Agreements and the electoral results of the political parties that emerge from the guerrilla groups, allow us to conclude that the success of these parties does not depend strictly on what was agreed in the agreements and their fulfillment, but that the dynamics of these groups as guerrillas have a politically relevant impact even after demobilization.