COLOMBIANS VOTE FOR CONGRESS AS REBELS RAGE

BOGOTA -- In low spirits because of a mounting guerrilla threat and
allegations of vote buying, Colombians yesterday chose new representatives
to Congress - the institution widely considered the country's most corrupt.

President Ernesto Samper's scandal rocked Liberal Party, whose entrenched
political machinery gave it a significant edge, was expected to maintain
its majority in both houses of the national legislature, where the party
now controls nearly 60 percent of the seats in each chamber.

However, opposition candidates were among the top finishers in the
nationwide races for the 102-seat Senate, according to early returns.

One of them appeared to be Ingrid Betancourt, a Liberal dissident and among
the most vocal critics of drug corruption and the president. She was
followed by incumbent Fabio Valencia, a fierce opponent of Samper from the
main opposition Conservatives, and newcomer Carlos Moreno, an independent
populist who reached into his own pockets to pave Bogota's streets.

The top finisher among 180 candidates to represent Bogota in the House of
Representatives was Antonio Navarro Wolff, a former guerrilla who was voted
mayor of the year for 1997 by business leaders for ridding the southern
city of Pasto of municipal corruption.

"This was a vote of protest against corruption and cronyism," an elated
Navarro said, laughing with joy.

A highly partisan Congress absolved Samper in 1996 of charges he knowingly
accepted $6 million from drug lords in winning office. The president's
detractors say he bought absolution by raiding the treasury and doling out
hundreds of millions of dollars among supporters.

The country's leftist rebels, newly invigorated by a major victory over the
army last week, used attacks, threats and transport bans to try to impede
yesterday's vote.

Although 200,000 security troops were mobilized nationwide, Interior
Minister Alfonso Lopez reported rebel disturbances in 27 mostly remote
municipalities that included the burning of ballots and kidnappings of
mayors and election officials.

Rebel interference forced cancellation of the vote in at least 46
municipalities, and at least three candidates and 10 mayors were kidnapped
as the election approached.

Authorities said eight guerrillas and seven soldiers were killed in combat
and 30 vehicles destroyed by rebels.

A skirmish also occurred in the same southern jungle zone where the
military last week suffered its worst defeat in 35 years fighting leftist
rebels of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). In Mesetas,
100 miles south of Bogota, rebels killed six soldiers.

The FARC updated their casualty report from last week's battle in a
communique yesterday, stating that they killed 83 elite anti-guerrilla
troops, wounded 32 and took 43 prisoner. The army has recovered 40
survivors and 35 uniformed bodies without dog tags. Reporters have been
banned from from military hospitals where survivors are being treated, and,
as of last night, no information had been made available about their
conditions.

The campaign preceding yesterday's vote was marred by reports of widespread
vote-buying and an apparent infusion of millions in drug money. About 240
of the 7,000 candidates are under criminal investigation, including Senate
President Amylkar Acosta.

"We're in an unequal battle," said Senator Claudia Blum. an anti-corruption
crusader who appeared headed for re-election. She contends that just 20
candidates for the House and 15 for the Senate are proven, honest reformers.

First-time candidates dubbing themselves anti-politicians included
newspaper columnists, indigenous leaders and movie director Sergio Cabrera,
a former guerrilla who was expected to win a house seat in Bogota after
spending just $13,000 on his campaign.

"It's difficult to get elected when you face people who spent millions of
dollars on their campaigns," he said. I really like that people reacted
with their hearts and not in response to campaign ads."

Colombians will choose a new president May 31, and Samper is
constitutionally barred from re-election. The new Congress takes office
July 20, the new president on August 7.