ABSTRACT
This chapter analyses the presidential leadership of Cé sar Gaviria and Á lvaro Uribe in Colombia. It discusses each president's origin and development; strategies and modes of action; and conceptions of society. The chapter addresses the question of what both presidential leadership experiences exemplify and illustrate with respect to Colombian politics and society. It describes forms of leadership that maintain a high level of personalism in politics within a presidential system characterized by weakly organized parties and functions, based on patronage within a context of conflict and the presence of illegal armed actors. The leadership styles of Cé sar Gaviria and Álvaro Uribe have several elements in common: pragmatism, cunning, ability to rally political support for their campaigns and their governments, and use of patronage to conduct politics. In a turbulent and weak governmental environment, Cé sar Gaviria was guided by pragmatism in negotiations with electorally relevant political sectors and exhibited a certain calculated boldness.
