Uribe Vélez, Álvaro

Uribe Vélez, Álvaro, 1952–, Colombian politician. A lawyer, he held a number of government posts before becoming mayor of Medellín in 1982; he was later a Colombian senator (1986–94) and governor of Antioquia dept. (1995–97). In 2002 Uribe, who had been a member of the Liberal party, ran as an independent candidate for the presidency, campaigning on a right-wing platform that called for taking a hard-line against the leftist rebels and fighting corruption. Surviving an assassination attempt, he won a first-round victory despite some concerns about possible associations with right-wing paramilitary groups and drug cartels. In office Uribe has used increased military force against the rebels while negotiating with the paramilitaries. He also has sought, largely unsuccessfully, to increase the presidency's power with respect to the congress. Uribe did, however, secure passage of a bill allowing the president to run for two consecutive terms, and was reelected in 2006.