Colombian politician born in Bucaramanga to Mario Galán and Cecilia Sarmiento (1943-1989).

Galán ran for President of Colombia in 1982 but lost to Belisario Betancur. The results of that election gave strength to the new political movement of "Nuevo Liberalismo" that he had founded in 1979. The movement was initially the offspring of the mainstream Liberal party of Colombia but, with the mediation of former president Julio César Turbay , Galán returned to the party in 1987 and intended to win the presidency as its official candidate.

After receiving several death threats, Galán was shot dead by drug cartel hitmen on August 18, 1989, during a public demonstration. At the time he was comfortably leading the polls for the fothcoming 1990 Presidential election.

César Gaviria, who had been Galán's debate chief ("Jefe de Debate") during the campaign, was proclaimed as his successor by Galán's family and his supporters inside the Liberal party, and was elected president in 1990.

Recently (2004), information has come to light in the form of a letter written by one of the hitmen (now deceased) who had infiltrated his escort, that Galán's assassination was executed with help from corrupt Colombian policemen and some of his own bodyguards, who had been bought off by the drug mafia, including Pablo Escobar and many other druglords of the time. Most of the arrested hitmen were killed in jail, allegedly to silence them regarding this fact.

External Links

Spanish Language News Report on the hitman letter