Colombian people vote 'No' to peace deal with FARC

Bogota, Oct 3: The future of the Colombian peace process plunged into doubt on Sunday as a national vote on whether to accept the agreement with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) went down to the wire, with the "No" camp taking a razor-thin lead.

While weeks of polling had shown a clear lead for the "Yes" camp, the "No" camp led by 50.23 per cent to 49.76 per cent for "Yes" with 99.69 per cent of votes counted, Xinhua reported.

This will come as a massive blow to the government of President Juan Manuel Santos and the FARC, who came to a peace treaty in August after four years of negotiations.

The future of Colombia's peace process is now uncertain, since the FARC's willingness to disarm, gather in special zones across the country and transition to a political party relied on public acceptance.

IANS