Colombian rebel-turned-candidate OK after heart surgery

Colombian rebel-turned-candidate OK after heart surgery | iNFOnews.ca
FILE - In this Jan. 27, 2018 file photo, presidential candidate Rodrigo Londono, a former rebel leader known as Timochenko, concludes his speech at a campaign inauguration to present congressional candidates for the political party formed by the former guerrillas of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, FARC, in Bogota, Colombia. The group known as the Common Alternative Revolutionary Force said Thursday, March 1, that Londono is under medical observation. A doctor at the San Rafael Hospital tells BLU Radio he may have suffered an “acute coronary” event. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan, File)

BOGOTA – Doctors in Colombia have successfully performed heart surgery on Rodrigo Londono, the leader of the country’s once-largest guerrilla group who is running for president.

A statement from Bogota’s Shaio Clinic says Londono is in “satisfactory” condition following Wednesday’s coronary bypass surgery. The ex-rebel was also diagnosed with chronic lung disease and a clogged artery.

Londono is more commonly known by his nom-de-guerre — Timochenko.

After the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia disarmed following a peace agreement with Colombia’s government, Londono announced his presidential candidacy. But his campaign has been marred by protests and complicated by his own health problems, including a stroke last year.

Analysts expect Timochenko to come in last in the presidential election. But his party will be awarded 10 congressional seats under the 2016 peace deal.

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