Juan Fernando Cristo Bustos (born 11 July 1964) is a Colombian lawyer and politician. He served as a Colombian Senator from 1998 to 2014, and was Minister of the Interior under Juan Manuel Santos from 2014 to 2017.[1] In this capacity, he played a key role in negotiating and implementing the peace accords signed with FARC.[2] He was reappointed Minister of the Interior in 2024 by President Gustavo Petro.
Juan Fernando Cristo | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Minister of Interior | |
| Assumed office 3 July 2024 | |
| President | Gustavo Petro |
| Preceded by | Luis Fernando Velasco |
| In office 7 August 2014 – 25 May 2017 | |
| President | Juan Manuel Santos |
| Preceded by | Aurelio Iragorri |
| Succeeded by | Guillermo Rivera |
| Senator of Colombia | |
| In office 20 July 1998 – 20 July 2014 | |
| President of the Senate | |
| In office 20 July 2013 – 20 July 2014 | |
| Preceded by | Roy Barreras |
| Succeeded by | Jose David Name |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Juan Fernando Cristo Bustos 11 July 1964 Cúcuta, North Santander, Colombia |
| Political party | Liberal Party |
| Alma mater | University of the Andes |
Early life and education
editJuan Fernando Cristo is the son of Colombian senator Jorge Cristo Sahium, who was assassinated in 1997.[3] He studied law at the University of the Andes.
Political career
editStarting in 1993, he served Colombia as a diplomat for several years. After his father's assassination, he ran for the Colombian Senate, an office he would go on to hold from 1998 to 2014. During his last year in office, he was president of the Senate.
From 2014 to 2017, he was the Minister of the Interior for the second government of Juan Manuel Santos.[4] During his tenure, he helped broker the Colombian government's peace accords with Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).[2]
On May 25, 2017, Cristo announced his candidacy for Colombian's presidency in the 2018 election.[5] However, he lost the Liberal Party candidacy to Humberto de la Calle, who subsequently lost the general election to right-wing candidate Iván Duque Márquez.[4]
He was appointed Minister of the Interior on July 3, 2024 by President Gustavo Petro Urrego. During his tenure, he has called for an independent verification of the disputed 2024 Venezuelan presidential election.[6]
References
edit- ^ "Perfil | Ministerio del Interior". Mininterior.gov.co. Retrieved 2022-09-04.
- ^ a b Redacción Política (2016-12-13). "'Fast track' no es un capricho del Gobierno: Juan Fernando Cristo" (in Spanish). El Espectador. Retrieved 2022-09-04.
- ^ "Juan Fernando Cristo: No he perdonado pues nadie me ha pedido perdón - Especiales Semana". Juan Fernando Cristo: No he perdonado pues nadie me ha pedido perdón - Especiales Semana (in Spanish). Retrieved 2022-06-06.
- ^ a b Vacía, La Silla. "Juan Fernando Cristo Bustos". Súper Amigos - La Silla Vacía (in Spanish). Retrieved 2022-06-06.
- ^ "Colombia's 2018 Presidential Election: Candidate Overview". Colombia Focus. Retrieved 8 July 2017.
- ^ Medina, Oscar (2024-07-29). "Colombia Minister Joins Calls for Verification of Venezuela Vote". Bloomberg. Retrieved 2024-07-30.
External links
edit
Media related to Juan Fernando Cristo at Wikimedia Commons
 | This article about a Colombian politician is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |