«Not taking part in crucial public discussions is problematic for a peace process»: Stefan Peters in Deutsche Welle
The German news portal, Deutsche Welle, reported on Colombia’s electoral crossroads ahead of the second round of the presidential election to be held on June 19.
CAPAZ Academic Director Prof. Dr. Stefan Peters, was interviewed to give his point of view on some crucial issues to take into account in this electoral race. For example, he talked about how important it is for candidates to attend the debates:
How much of the Peace Agreement can there be with one or the other? “Not participating in crucial public debates is problematic for a peace process”, says CAPAZ Director, Stefan Peters, “because a society needs democratic debate to be able to exchange different positions and arguments; in a democracy support is achieved by obtaining majorities”.
Prof. Peters also referred to some of Gustavo Petro’s economic proposals, especially those related to the energy change he proposes:
“Coal in Colombia has major problems and is rightly criticized for the social, human rights, and ecological problems caused by its extraction”. Colombia, according to Stefan Peters, would be facing the dilemma of “continuing to exploit its resources knowing that extractivism has no future”. Although it is also true, he clarifies, that “if Gustavo Petro wants to implement the broad social reforms he is proposing, he will have to finance them from somewhere”. In the end, in a possible government of the economist Petro, the economy will be the key”.
Photo: DW.