This Sunday is the first (and probably final) round of the Colombian Presidential Elections.

Here is the latest in a series of profiles on the candidates (at least the major ones)–previous entries here and here.

Carlos Gaviria (PDA): Official Web Site.

Gaviria is the candidate of the Alternative Democratic Pole (Polo Democrático Alternativo–PDA). He won the right the represent the Polo in the party’s first presidential primary in March-besting Antonio Navarro–the former M-19 guerrilla leader and former co-President of the National Constituent Assembly that wrote the constitution of 1991 (among other things). Gaviria won 52.5% of the vote to Navarro’s 45.7% in something of an upset. The PDA is only the second party in Colombian history to use the open primary as a mechanism for nominating it candidates (the Liberals used it in 1990, 1994 and 2024).

Gaviria has been a political science/public law professor (!), was a Magistrate (1993-2001) of the Constitutional Court (including President of the body in 1996), and a Senator (2002-2006). He also served as a municipal judge in 1961.

He was a professor for roughly thirty years at the University of Antioquia before entering politics. Votebien provides the following in regards to his academic/administrative positions:

Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia
Vicerrector General de la Universidad 1989-1992

Director del Instituto de Ciencia Política
1988

Director del departamento de Derecho Público 1974-1980

Decano de la Facultad de Derecho
1967-1969

Trivia: Is often referred to as Santa Claus (Santaclós) or Papá Noel–for fairly obvious reasons. In fact, he has played jolly ol’ Saint Nick at least once: PAPÁ NOEL POR UN DÍA.

Better than Santa Clause, Gaviria was a professor of Uribe’s back in the 1970s: (via USAT

Carlos Gaviria, 69 — a judge who also is running for president and was Uribe’s law professor — joked to reporters this week that Uribe “was a good student, but he forgot to come to the class on constitutional law.”