After five decades of extreme violence, including murders and kidnappings in Colombia, the left-wing guerrilla group known as FARC laid down its weapons and will now fight in the political arena.

After finalizing a long-debated peace deal, the rebels became a political party, a fact that does not sit well with some Colombians. But, at the same time, politicians, in general, do not enjoy great popularity in the country.

CGTN’s Michelle Begue reports.

To discuss all of this:

• Juan Carlos Hidalgo, a policy analyst at the Center for Global Liberty and Prosperty
• Lisa Haugaard, the executive director of The Latin America Working Group
• Eunice Escobar, the chairwoman of Witness for Peace
• Peter Hakim, the president emeritus of the Inter-American Dialogue

For more:

Party logo features red rose with red star in middle: #Colombia's former FARC guerrillas unveil political party https://t.co/NBnyDejH1r pic.twitter.com/2SIJAJUXdz

— China Xinhua News (@XHNews) September 3, 2017

'Ivan Marquez' assumes leadership of FARC political party – https://t.co/q4K6sRotFi pic.twitter.com/kMjOoGciBH

— Colombia Reports (@colombiareports) September 3, 2017