BOGOTA, Colombia — A referendum defeat for a peace deal with leftist rebels leaves Colombians with no Plan B to save an accord that sought to bring an end to a half century of hostilities.

Instead of winning by an almost two-to-one margin Sunday as pre-election polls had predicted, those favoring the accord with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia lost by a razor-thin margin, 49.8 percent to 50.2 percent for those against the deal.

Both President Juan Manuel Santos and leaders of the FARC, after four years of negotiations, vowed to push ahead, giving no hint they want to resume a war that has already killed 220,000 people and displaced 8 million.

"I won't give up. I'll continue search for peace until the last moment of my mandate," Santos said in a televised address appealing for calm.

Santos has ordered his negotiators to return to Cuba on Monday to confer with FARC's top leaders.

"The FARC deeply regret that the destructive power of those who sow hatred and revenge have influenced the Colombian people's opinion," the FARC's top commander, a guerrilla known as Timochenko, told reporters.

Foreign leaders had heralded the accord as a model for a world beset by political violence and terrorism. Many heads of state as well as U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry were present when Santos and Timochenko signed the deal less than a week ago.

Norway, which along with Cuba co-sponsored the talks, said it would be willing to further facilitate peace talks.</s>Colombia’s referendum over a peace accord with Marxist rebels went down to the wire on Sunday, jeopardizing a deal that would end 52 years of war and allow FARC fighters to re-enter society and form a political party.

With results in from 90.66 per cent of voting stations, the “no” vote was marginally ahead at 50.10 per cent, versus 49.89 per cent for “yes,” according to Colombia’s election authority.

That confounded opinion polls that had predicted a comfortable victory for the “yes” camp promoted by President Juan Manuel Santos. He has said his government will go back to war if the deal is rejected.

Read more: Colombia’s undecided: Can all be forgiven after so much pain and loss?

Read more: Colombia’s peace deal with FARC rebels reaps first fragile benefits

In photos: A look at Colombia's long civil war

The vote asked for a simple “yes” or “no” on whether Colombians support the accord signed last Monday by Santos, who has staked his legacy on peace, and the rebel commander known as Timochenko.

“We must end a 52-year war and open the way to peace, a peace that will take us to a better future ... peace is the way to ensure our children and grandchildren have a better country,” Santos said after voting.

The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, known as FARC, whose numbers were halved to about 7,000 in recent years because of a U.S.-backed military offensive, has agreed to turn in weapons and fight for power at the ballot box instead of with bullets.

After four years of negotiations in Havana, the final agreement was applauded around the world. Recent opinion polls show about two-thirds of voters are likely to ratify it.

Influential former President Alvaro Uribe led the “no” camp, arguing that rebels should pay for crimes in jail and never be given congressional seats. But most Colombians, including some who see the accord as too soft on the FARC, seem convinced an imperfect peace is better than more war.

“This country needs a change and it has to be today,” Fabiel Cruz, 31, an administrator, said after voting yes. “It’s the only chance we have. If it’s not today it will be never.”

Under the accord, the FARC, which began as a peasant revolt in 1964, can compete in the 2018 presidential and legislative elections and will have 10 unelected congressional seats guaranteed through 2026.

It will give up its role in the lucrative illegal drug trade and take part in reforming rural Colombia, most of which is poor and undeveloped.

Details of the FARC’s political platform have not yet been revealed but its Marxist rhetoric goes very much against the beliefs of the largely conservative Colombian population, and most, including Santos, think it will have difficulty finding a political footing.

Colombia’s Senate has 102 members and the House of Representatives has 166, so the FARC’s 10 seats are not enough to sway legislation. But some Colombians are still outraged.

“I voted no. I don’t want to teach my children that everything can be forgiven,” said Alejandro Jaramillo, 35, angered that the rebels will not serve jail time.

“The accord gives a lot of concessions to the guerrillas. They changed their strategy from arms to politics but the goal is still socialism,” said Javier Milanes, 34, a restaurant owner who also voted no.

For decades, the FARC bankrolled the longest-running conflict in the Americas through the illegal drug trade, kidnapping and extortion, spreading a sense of terror that left few Colombians unaffected. The conflict took more than 220,000 lives and displaced millions of people.

Colombians are tired of the bloodshed, which at its worst saw the FARC positioned close to the capital and the state on the verge of collapse. Battles between the guerrillas, paramilitaries, drug gangs and the army raged in the countryside and there were atrocities committed on all sides.

A major concern for Colombians is that the FARC amassed a fortune from the cocaine trade. If the group does not hand over all its assets to victim reparations as promised, it could have a political war chest that arguably puts it at an advantage over other political movements.

If the peace accord is approved on Sunday, Santos likely will turn his focus toward a much-needed tax reform and other measures to compensate for a drop in oil income, as well as possible talks with the smaller ELN rebel group.</s>On Monday, the country's currency and stocks reacted negatively. Colombia's peso fell 2.6% Monday. Stocks fell too -- the MSCI Colombia, which represents the country's largest publicly-traded companies -- quickly shed 3% once markets opened.

"The rejection of the proposed peace deal was not expected nor discounted by the market," says Alberto Ramos, head of Latin America research at Goldman Sachs.

In a referendum vote on Sunday, Colombians voted against a peace deal with the rebel guerrilla army known as FARC that would have ended a 52-year civil war. The conflict killed an estimated 220,000 people and displaced millions.

Related: What's next for Colombia after failed peace deal

It took four years for the Colombian government and FARC leaders to reach a deal. Colombia's president, Juan Manuel Santos, wanted the Colombian people to ratify the peace deal in a referendum vote.

But Colombians narrowly rejected the deal, with 50.22% voting against it. Many Colombians believed the deal would have been too lenient on FARC leaders who committed war crimes.

Colombia's economy already faced a litany of headwinds despite being one of the best performing economies in Latin America. The peso fell 18% and 25% against the dollar in 2014 and 2015 respectively. It had started to regain momentum this year. But now things appear uncertain.

Related: Opinion: Colombia must keep pushing for peace

After growing at 6.6% in 2011, Colombia's economy slowed down over the years, only growing 3.1% last year. Its chief export is oil and low crude prices have hurt its growth prospects.

Santos -- along with many economists -- argued that peace had major economic benefits. They anticipated that peace would increase stability, encouraging more foreign investment and the development of FARC-controlled territory.

Although the failed deal isn't expected to cause an economic crisis soon, the shocking outcome raises concerns, experts say.

"There is still a lot of uncertainty about what comes next," says Adam Collins an economist who covers Colombia at Capital Economics, a research firm. The no vote "does raise political risks."</s>Instead of winning by an almost two-to-one margin on Sunday as pre-election polls had predicted, those favoring the accord with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia lost by a razor-thin margin, 49.8 percent to 50.2 percent for those against the deal.

Both President Juan Manuel Santos and leaders of the FARC, after four years of grueling negotiations, vowed to push ahead, giving no hint they want to resume a war that has already killed 220,000 people and displaced 8 million.

“I won’t give up. I’ll continue search for peace until the last moment of my mandate,” Santos said in a televised address appealing for calm.

But it’s not clear how the already unpopular Santos can save the deal after the stunning political defeat. He has ordered his negotiators to return to Cuba on Monday to confer with FARC’s top leaders, who watched the results with disbelief after ordering drinks and cigars at Club Havana, once Cuba’s most exclusive beach club.

“The FARC deeply regret that the destructive power of those who sow hatred and revenge have influenced the Colombian people’s opinion,” the FARC’s top commander, a guerrilla known as Timochenko, told reporters.

The loss for the government was even more shocking considering the huge support for the accord among foreign leaders, who have heralded it as a model for a world beset by political violence and terrorism. Many heads of state as well as U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry were present when Santos and Timochenko signed the deal less than a week ago in an elaborate, emotion-filled ceremony.

Norway, which along with Cuba co-sponsored the talks, said it would be willing to further facilitate peace talks.

“I am very disappointed, and the result shows a very polarized and split Colombia,” Norway’s Foreign Minister Borge Brende told the NTB news agency.

“We have told both parties that we will be at their disposal and are available,” he said. “We must also involve the opposition who say they want peace and hear what they think might be the solution.”

With the outlook uncertain, all eyes are on Santos’ former boss and chief rival: Alvaro Uribe, the powerful former president who led the grass-roots campaign against the accord. With none of the government’s huge PR machine, an angry Uribe gave voice to millions of Colombians, many of them victims of the FARC like him, who bristled at provisions in the 297-page accord sparing rebels jail time if they confessed their crimes and instead reserved them 10 seats in Congress.

Uribe, in prepared remarks from his ranch outside Medellin after the results were in, called for a “big national pact” and insisted on “correctives” that guarantee respect for the constitution, respect for private enterprise and justice without impunity. But he didn’t specify whether he would join Santos in trying to salvage the deal, and took more swipes at the FARC, demanding it end drug trafficking and extortion.

“The entire accord was full of impunity,” said Ricardo Bernal, 60, celebrating the victory for the “no” side in a Bogota neighborhood where opponents were gathered. “We all want peace but there have to be adjustments made.”

Across town, hundreds of supporters of the peace deal who had gathered in a hotel ballroom for what they expected would be a victory party with Santos wept in despair.

The FARC’s 7,000 guerrilla fighters are unlikely to return to the battlefield any time soon. For now, a cease-fire remains in place.

One option for Santos would be to reopen negotiations, something he had ruled out previously and his chief negotiator said would be “catastrophic.” The president, who has a little under two years left in office, could also seek to bypass another popular vote and ratify the accord in Congress or by calling a constitutional convention, something both the FARC and Uribe have previously favored.

“I’ve always believed in a wise Chinese proverb, to look for opportunities in any situation. And here we have an opportunity that’s opening up, with the new political reality that has demonstrated itself in the referendum,” Santos said Sunday night at the presidential palace.

But bringing Santos and Uribe together might be harder than achieving peace with the FARC. Santos served as Uribe’s defense minister, when they worked together with the U.S. to drive the FARC to the edge of the jungles, but the two haven’t spoken for years and frequently trade insults.

One of the reasons for the surprise defeat was low turnout, with only 37 percent of the electorate bothering to vote, a further sign to some analysts that Colombians’ enthusiasm for the ambitious accord was lacking. Heavy rains from Hurricane Matthew especially dampened voting along the Caribbean coast, where the government’s electoral machinery is strongest and the “yes” vote won by a double-digit margin.

While urban voters who were being leaned on to pay for the peace largely voted against the accord, the areas hardest hit by the conflict overwhelmingly endorsed it. In the town of Bojaya, where a FARC mortar attack on a church killed dozens of civilians in 2002, the ‘yes’ vote won with 96 percent of the vote.

The campaign exposed deep rifts in Colombian society, dividing many families and making clear the road to reconciliation would have been long and torturous even had the accord passed. Colombians overwhelmingly loathe the FARC, which the U.S. considers a terrorist group, and many considered the accord an insult to victims of the long-running conflict.

“In the end, hate toward the FARC won out over hope for the future,” said Jason Marczack, an expert on Latin America at the Washington-based Atlantic Council.</s>BOGOTA, Colombia — Colombians rejected a peace deal with leftist rebels by a razor-thin margin in a national referendum Sunday, scuttling years of painstaking negotiations and delivering a major setback to President Juan Manuel Santos, who vowed to keep a cease-fire in place and forge ahead with his efforts to end a half-century of war.

With more than 99 percent of polling stations reporting, 50.2 percent of ballots opposed the accord with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia while 49.8 percent favored it — a difference of less than 57,000 votes out of a total of 13 million. Pre-election polls had predicted the “yes” vote would win by an almost two-to-one margin.

“I won’t give up. I’ll continue search for peace until the last moment of my mandate,” Santos said in a televised address appealing for calm and in which he tried to reassure voters he was in complete control of the situation.

To save the accord, Santos ordered his negotiators to return to Cuba on Monday to consult with FARC leaders who watched the results come in from the communist island. He also promised to listen to opponents in a bid to strengthen the deal, which he said is Colombia’s best chance for ending a conflict that has killed 220,000 people and driven almost 8 million people from their homes.

“I’ve always believed in a wise Chinese proverb to look for opportunities in any situation. And here we have an opportunity that’s opening up, with the new political reality that has demonstrated itself in the referendum,” he said before descending to the steps of the presidential palace to address a small group of supporters waving white flags symbolizing peace.

The shock outcome, comparable to Britain’s decision to leave the European Union in the Brexit vote, opens an uncertain outlook for the peace accord that was signed less than a week ago by Santos and the FARC in a ceremony attended by heads of state, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry.

Opposition to the accord, led by influential former President Alvaro Uribe, argued that the government was appeasing the FARC and setting a bad example that criminal gangs would seize on by sparing rebels jail time if they confess their crimes and guaranteeing the group 10 seats in congress through 2026. If the “no” vote prevailed, Uribe said, the government should return to the negotiating table.

But that is an option that Santos has previously ruled out.

With the government’s ability to govern now in question all eyes have turned to Uribe, who remains the country’s most-popular politician and whose almost decade-long military offensive forced the FARC to the negotiating table. He made no immediate comment on the results but his former vice president, Francisco Santos, the current president’s cousin, rejected claims that Uribe supporters oppose peace.

“What we want is an agreement for all Colombians,” he said.

President Santos served as Uribe’s defense minister but the two haven’t spoken for years, leading many pundits to joke that bringing the two former allies together is harder than achieving peace with the FARC.

Early in the day, FARC leaders, including Timochenko and Ivan Marquez, sat in leather recliners at Club Havana, once Cuba’s most exclusive beach club, watching the referendum results on a flat-screen TV. Initially the atmosphere was festive, with the guerrillas laughing and joking while snacking on cheese-and-olive hors d’oeuvres, smoking cigars and visiting an open bar.

But the mood soured as results began to come in, and the rebel commanders talked in hushed tones on cellphones, conferred quietly and asked journalists to leave the room.

“The FARC deeply regret that the destructive power of those who sow hatred and revenge have influenced the Colombian people’s opinion,” Timochenko told reporters later.

He said the rebel group’s commitment to peace remains intact.

“The FARC reiterates its desire for peace and our willingness to use only words as a weapon for building the future,” he said.

Turnout was low, with only 37 percent of the electorate bothering to vote, a further sign to some analysts that Colombians’ enthusiasm for the ambitious accord was lacking. Heavy rains from hurricane Matthew especially dampened turnout along the Caribbean coast, where the “yes” vote won by a comfortable double-digit margin.

The campaign exposed deep rifts in Colombia’s society, dividing many families and making it clear to even supporters of the accord that the road to reconciliation would have been long and torturous. Colombians overwhelmingly loathe the FARC, which the U.S. considers a terrorist group, and many considered the accord an insult to victims of the long-running conflict.

In the past month, ever since the deal was announced in Cuba after four years of grueling negotiations, the government spent heavily on television ads and staged concerts and peace rallies around the country to get out the vote. It even enrolled the help of U2’s Bono and former Beatle Ringo Starr. And for the first time in an election, it made ballots available in Braille so blind Colombians could vote.

The FARC, however, has made an effort to show its commitment to peace is real. Twice this week leaders of the group traveled to areas hit hard by violence to apologize for massacres committed by their troops and discuss with communities how they can compensate victims. Even ahead of implementation, they voluntarily destroyed in front of United Nations observers 620 kilograms of grenades and light explosives.</s>Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Opponents of the peace agreement celebrated as the surprise result was announced

Voters in Colombia have rejected a landmark peace deal with Farc rebels in a shock referendum result, with 50.2% voting against it.

The deal was signed last week by President Juan Manuel Santos and Farc leader Timoleon Jimenez after nearly four years of negotiations.

But it needed to be ratified by Colombians in order to come into force.

Addressing the nation, President Santos said he accepted the result but would continue working to achieve peace.

How did it happen?

Colombians were asked to endorse or reject the peace agreement in a popular vote on Sunday.

Image copyright AFP Image caption Voters were asked to vote "yes" or "no" to the peace agreement signed last week

The "yes" campaign had the backing not just of President Santos but of a wide array of politicians both in Colombia and abroad, including UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

But there was also a vocal campaign for a "no" vote, led by former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe.

Polls conducted ahead of Sunday's vote suggested a comfortable win for the "yes" campaign.

But in a surprise result, 50.2% of voters rejected the agreement compared with 49.8% who voted for it.

The difference with 98.98% of the votes counted was less than 54,000 votes out of almost 13 million ballots.

Turnout was low with fewer than 38% of voters casting their votes.

Who voted how?

Colombia was divided regionally with most of the outlying provinces voting in favour of the agreement and those nearer the capital and inland voting against it.

In Choco, one of the provinces hardest hit by the conflict, 80% of voters backed the deal.

In the town of Bojaya, where at least 119 people were killed when a church was hit by Farc mortar bombs, 96% of residents voted "yes".

Colombia's capital, Bogota, also voted "yes" with 56%.

The province of Vaupes, in the east of the country, also registered strong support for the deal, with 78% voting in favour.

Vaupes has also seen its share of conflict, including the attack on the town of Mitu, which the rebels seized control of in 1998 after taking a large number of police officers hostage. Some of the officers were held hostage by the Farc for 12 years before being freed by the army in 2010.

In the eastern province of Casanare on the other hand, 71.1 % voted against the deal.

It is an area where farmers and landowners have for years been extorted by the Farc and other illegal groups.

In Antioquia, the home state of ex-President Uribe, 62% rejected the deal.

Why did people vote 'no'?

Most of those who voted "no" said they thought the peace agreement was letting the rebels "get away with murder".

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption "No" voters said the agreement was too lenient with the rebels

Under the agreement, special courts would have been created to try crimes committed during the conflict.

Those who confessed to their crimes would have been given more lenient sentences and would have avoided serving any time in conventional prisons.

This, for many Colombians, was one step too far.

They also balked at the government's plan to pay demobilised Farc rebels a monthly stipend and to offer those wanting to start a business financial help.

"No" voters said this amounted to a reward for criminal behaviour while honest citizens were left to struggle financially.

Many also said that they simply did not trust the rebels to keep their promise to lay down arms for good.

They pointed to previous failed peace negotiations when the rebels took advantage of a lull in fighting to regroup and rearm as evidence that the Farc had broken their word before.

Others were unhappy that under the agreement, the Farc would be guaranteed 10 seats in the Colombian Congress in the 2018 and 2022 elections.

They said this would give the newly created party an unfair advantage.

Read more about the deal's most contentious points

What will happen next?

President Santos said that the bilateral ceasefire between government forces and the Farc would remain in place.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption President Juan Manuel Santos: "I am the guarantor of Colombia's stability"

He has told government negotiators to travel to to Cuba to consult Farc leaders on the next move.

President Santos has promised to "continue the search for peace until the last moment of my mandate because that's the way to leave a better country to our children".

"I won't give up," he said.

The Farc leader known as Timochenko also said that the rebels remained committed to securing an end to the conflict.

"The Farc reiterates its disposition to use only words as a weapon to build toward the future," he said after the result.

"Count on us, peace will triumph."

But before the vote, President Santos had told the BBC that there was "no Plan B" for ending the conflict, which has killed an estimated 260,000 people.

He said he would meet all political parties on Monday to discuss the next steps and "open space for dialogue".

Read more: Viewpoint: What next for Colombia after 'no' vote?

What does the 'no' campaign want?

The main proponent of the vote against the agreement was former President Alvaro Uribe.

Image copyright AP Image caption Former President Alvaro Uribe said the deal offered rebels who had committed crimes "impunity"

Following the "no" vote, Mr Uribe insisted that he was not opposed to peace but that he wanted to renegotiate some of the agreement, which he said needed "corrections".

Among the "corrections" he has demanded are, among others:

That those found guilty of crimes be barred from running for public office

That Farc leaders serve time in prison for crimes committed

That the Farc use their illicit gains to pay their victims compensation

That no changes be made to the Colombian constitution

He said he wanted "political pluralism which can't be perceived as a reward for crimes committed, social justice without risk to honest enterprise".

"We want to contribute to a national accord and be heard," he said.

However, it is not clear whether the Farc would agree to the "corrections" Mr Uribe wants or if they would even consider renegotiating the deal which took four years of formal negotiations and two years of secret talks to reach.

What has been the reaction?

One of surprise, as even Mr Uribe, the main backer of the "no" vote, had predicted that the "yes" vote would win.

Image copyright AFP Image caption Supporters of the deal were shocked when the "no" won

Image copyright EPA Image caption Some just could not believe the result

Some of those who had gathered to watch the result on giant screens expressed their disappointment.

One woman in Medellin told Caracol radio: "I never thought I could be this sad. I haven't got any victims in my family, nor any siblings who've joined the guerrilla, but I think of my country, of the young people and my heart breaks into a thousand pieces."

Farc leader Timochenko expressed his disappointment with the result which he blamed on "the destructive power of those who sow hatred and revenge" and "have influenced the Colombian people's opinion".

Opponents of the agreement, however, took to the streets to celebrate their unexpected win.

Many said that "justice has won" and expressed their relief at the result.

One Colombian woman told BBC Mundo that Colombians had not forgotten that the path of the Farc was "paved with kidnappings, killings and drug trafficking".

Did you vote in the referendum? How do you feel about the result? Tell us your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.

You can also contact us in the following ways:</s>(CNN) A narrow win for Colombia's opponents to a government peace deal with FARC rebels has thrown the country into disarray, leading one journalist to starkly declare, "Nobody really knows what will happen tomorrow."

Likened to the fallout from the United Kingdom's "Brexit" referendum, the vote's unexpected failure has left the Colombian political classes reeling and unsure how to respond in order to save four years of hard negotiation with the Marxist militia.

And while a meeting of the deal's principals is scheduled for Monday morning, FARC's financial disclosures -- and possibly a disarmament campaign that began last week-- have been questioned.

Why did they reject it?

In the weeks leading up to Sunday's vote, many Colombians were angered by what they saw as insufficient punishment for those who perpetrated a litany of crimes against their people.

It's estimated 220,000 were killed in the 52-year conflict which displaced as many as 5 million people.

At the height of its terror campaign, the armed group seized territory, attacked government forces and conducted high-profile kidnappings. The rebels also hijacked planes, made millions trafficking cocaine and forced children to fight.

For just over half of those who voted, the FARC's past crimes were too much to forgive.

The rejection of the plan has left the administration of President Juan Manuel Santos wrongfooted and, as the president himself said, "without a plan B."

Now the rebels and the Colombian government, facilitated by international leaders, will have to go back to the drawing board to re-imagine a peace that is acceptable to the people of Colombia, speaking on behalf of the victims of murder, extortion and kidnapping.

"I hear those that said 'no' and those that said 'yes' and we all want peace. Tomorrow we will get all our political parties together to continue dialogues and finding alternatives for peace. I will not give up, I will continue to fight for peace," Santos said.

What happens now?

It is largely unclear what the path forward looks like. Santos said Sunday a ceasefire will remain in place and negotiations will continue in Havana, Cuba, while his counterpart, FARC leader Rodrigo Londoño Echeverri, agreed that the referendum result would not sway the former rebels from the path of peace.

"With today's result, we know that our challenge as a political movement is even greater and demands for us to be stronger, to build up a durable and stable peace," Londoño, who also goes by the alias Timoleón "Timochenko" Jiménez, said Sunday night.

"The FARC-EP maintains the willingness for peace and they reaffirm their disposition to use only the word as a constructive weapon towards the future. To the Colombian people who dream with peace, they can count on us. Peace will triumph."

Can a new deal be agreed?

The country is divided, says Virginia Bouvier, Senior Advisor for Latin American Programs at the US Institute of Peace, and while the accord represented a "unique and very exciting endeavor to hold accountable those who have committed horrific crimes," opponents of the deal reduced it to an oversimplified outcome: whether former rebels would see the inside of a jail cell.

Regardless of the outcome, "the path of peace will continue and both sides will follow it," Bouvier told CNN via Skype.

"Santos... speaking as president of all those who voted, said that he recognized that he had put it to a vote but maintained that he would be convening all political sectors to enter in dialogue and take that back to Havana.

"Trying to implement something that half of the population is against it is very difficult," she said, adding that in Colombia today there are deep divisions and the country polarized.

"I think this gives an option to go back to the drawing board to tweak to see what works for the entire population. I wish the (dealmakers) tremendous stamina for the next stage," she said.

Will there be political repercussions?

Almost without doubt. The 'no' vote was seen as somewhat of a referendum on Santos, who lost support through his agreement to sit down with the rebels.

The 'no' campaign was led by his predecessor, Álvaro Uribe, who would like to run again as president.

"This is a huge blow to the political future of President Santos," Journalist Simone Bruno told CNN.

"Just a few days ago we saw him signing this important agreement with the FARC leader and had huge support from the international community.

"He was one of the main candidates for the Nobel Prize and now he has to go back again. What he said is that he will never lose the chance to negotiate until the last day of his mandate. Now he wants to keep on going, keep on negotiating but of course of things are changing and nobody really knows what will happen tomorrow."

What could a new deal look like?

It's unlikely that the FARC leadership would give up former rebels to jail time to satisfy the demands of the slim majority which rejected the deal. FARC members and supporters already feel that the group has conceded too much in its quest for a settlement.

Santos has called a meeting of the principals of the imperiled deal for Monday morning in Bogota to decide what step to next take. One thing is for sure; no one wants a return to all-out conflict between government troops and a dwindling band of rebels in Colombia's jungles.

As so little is known about what comes next, it is unclear if the process to get the derailed deal back on track will happen quickly or slowly. The president still holds a majority in congress and will do so for the two remaining years of his term, so while the vote result is politically damaging he still has a lot of sway in congress.

It is unlikely that the whole deal will be scrapped, but rather the contentious clause which keeps former rebels out of jail will be renegotiated.</s>BOGOTA, Colombia | A stunning referendum defeat for a peace deal with leftist rebels leaves Colombians with no Plan B to save an accord that sought to bring an end to a half century of hostilities.

Instead of winning by an almost two-to-one margin on Sunday as pre-election polls had predicted, those favoring the accord with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia lost by a razor-thin margin, 49.8 percent to 50.2 percent for those against the deal.

Both President Juan Manuel Santos and leaders of the FARC, after four years of grueling negotiations, vowed to push ahead, giving no hint they want to resume a war that has already killed 220,000 people and displaced 8 million.

Colombia's President Juan Manuel Santos prepares to cast his ballot in a referendum to decide whether or not to support the peace deal he signed with rebels of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, FARC, in Bogota, Colombia, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara) Opposition Senator and former President Alvaro Uribe reads a statement at his house in Rionegro, Colombia, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016. Colombians rejected a peace deal with leftist rebels by a razor-thin margin in a national referendum. Opposition to the accord, led by Uribe, argued that the government was appeasing the FARC and setting a bad example by sparing rebels jail time if they confess their crimes and guaranteeing the group 10 seats in congress through 2026. Back right is Senator Ivan Duque. (AP Photo/Luis Benavides) Supporters of the peace accord between the Colombian government and rebels of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, FARC, follow on a giant screen the results of a referendum to decide whether or not to support the peace accord, in Bogota, Colombia, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016. Colombia's peace deal with leftist rebels was on the verge of collapsing, with those opposing the deal leading by a razor-thin margin with almost all polling stations reporting results. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos) Opponents to the peace deal signed between the Colombian government and rebels of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, FARC, celebrate as they listen to the results of the referendum to decide whether or not to support a peace accord to in Bogota, Colombia, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016. The peace deal was expected to end more than 5 decades of conflict between the FARC and the government. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos) A supporters of the peace accord between the Colombian government and rebels of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, FARC, follows on a giant screen the results of a referendum to decide whether or not to support the peace deal in Bogota, Colombia, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016. The peace deal is expected to end more than 5 decades of conflict between the FARC and the government. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan) Opponents to the peace deal signed between the Colombian government and rebels of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, FARC, celebrate as they listen to the results of the referendum to decide whether or not to support a peace accord to in Bogota, Colombia, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016. A referendum on Colombia's peace deal with leftist rebels was going far worse than expected for the government Sunday, with those favoring the deal leading by a razor-thin margin with more than half the votes counted. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos) Supporters of the peace accord between the Colombian government and rebels of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, FARC, follow on a giant screen the results of a referendum to decide whether or not to support the peace accord in Bogota, Colombia, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016. The peace deal is expected to end more than 5 decades of conflict between the FARC and the government. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

“I won’t give up. I’ll continue search for peace until the last moment of my mandate,” Santos said in a televised address appealing for calm.

But it’s not clear how the already unpopular Santos can save the deal after the stunning political defeat. He has ordered his negotiators to return to Cuba on Monday to confer with FARC’s top leaders, who watched the results with disbelief after ordering drinks and cigars at Club Havana, once Cuba’s most exclusive beach club.

“The FARC deeply regret that the destructive power of those who sow hatred and revenge have influenced the Colombian people’s opinion,” the FARC’s top commander, a guerrilla known as Timochenko, told reporters.

The loss for the government was even more shocking considering the huge support for the accord among foreign leaders, who have heralded it as a model for a world beset by political violence and terrorism. Many heads of state as well as U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry were present when Santos and Timochenko signed the deal less than a week ago in an elaborate, emotion-filled ceremony.

Norway, which along with Cuba co-sponsored the talks, said it would be willing to further facilitate peace talks.

“I am very disappointed, and the result shows a very polarized and split Colombia,” Norway’s Foreign Minister Borge Brende told the NTB news agency.

“We have told both parties that we will be at their disposal and are available,” he said. “We must also involve the opposition who say they want peace and hear what they think might be the solution.”

With the outlook uncertain, all eyes are on Santos’ former boss and chief rival: Alvaro Uribe, the powerful former president who led the grass-roots campaign against the accord. With none of the government’s huge PR machine, an angry Uribe gave voice to millions of Colombians, many of them victims of the FARC like him, who bristled at provisions in the 297-page accord sparing rebels jail time if they confessed their crimes and instead reserved them 10 seats in Congress.

Uribe, in prepared remarks from his ranch outside Medellin after the results were in, called for a “big national pact” and insisted on “correctives” that guarantee respect for the constitution, respect for private enterprise and justice without impunity. But he didn’t specify whether he would join Santos in trying to salvage the deal, and took more swipes at the FARC, demanding it end drug trafficking and extortion.

“The entire accord was full of impunity,” said Ricardo Bernal, 60, celebrating the victory for the “no” side in a Bogota neighborhood where opponents were gathered. “We all want peace but there have to be adjustments made.”

Across town, hundreds of supporters of the peace deal who had gathered in a hotel ballroom for what they expected would be a victory party with Santos wept in despair.

The FARC’s 7,000 guerrilla fighters are unlikely to return to the battlefield any time soon. For now, a cease-fire remains in place.

One option for Santos would be to reopen negotiations, something he had ruled out previously and his chief negotiator said would be “catastrophic.” The president, who has a little under two years left in office, could also seek to bypass another popular vote and ratify the accord in Congress or by calling a constitutional convention, something both the FARC and Uribe have previously favored.

“I’ve always believed in a wise Chinese proverb, to look for opportunities in any situation. And here we have an opportunity that’s opening up, with the new political reality that has demonstrated itself in the referendum,” Santos said Sunday night at the presidential palace.

But bringing Santos and Uribe together might be harder than achieving peace with the FARC. Santos served as Uribe’s defense minister, when they worked together with the U.S. to drive the FARC to the edge of the jungles, but the two haven’t spoken for years and frequently trade insults.

One of the reasons for the surprise defeat was low turnout, with only 37 percent of the electorate bothering to vote, a further sign to some analysts that Colombians’ enthusiasm for the ambitious accord was lacking. Heavy rains from Hurricane Matthew especially dampened voting along the Caribbean coast, where the government’s electoral machinery is strongest and the “yes” vote won by a double-digit margin.

While urban voters who were being leaned on to pay for the peace largely voted against the accord, the areas hardest hit by the conflict overwhelmingly endorsed it. In the town of Bojaya, where a FARC mortar attack on a church killed dozens of civilians in 2002, the ‘yes’ vote won with 96 percent of the vote.

The campaign exposed deep rifts in Colombian society, dividing many families and making clear the road to reconciliation would have been long and torturous even had the accord passed. Colombians overwhelmingly loathe the FARC, which the U.S. considers a terrorist group, and many considered the accord an insult to victims of the long-running conflict.

“In the end, hate toward the FARC won out over hope for the future,” said Jason Marczack, an expert on Latin America at the Washington-based Atlantic Council.

Associated Press writer Michael Weissenstein in Havana contributed to this report, AP Writer Matti Huuhtanen contributed from Helsinki, Finland.

Joshua Goodman is on Twitter: https://twitter.com/apjoshgoodman. His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/journalist/joshua-goodman .

Andrea Rodriguez is on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ARodriguezAP. Her work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/andrea-rodriguez .</s>FARC Commander Timoleón "Timochenko" Jiménez said Monday that his group would maintain the ceasefire with Colombia's government that was put into effect last June.

Timochenko said FARC would follow the peace deal that was signed last week between him and Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos.

"The FARC-EP remains faithful to the agreement," he said In a televised statement on Colombia's state-run TV. "Peace with dignity is here to stay."

Santos also said the government would respect the ceasefire and that negotiations would continue in Havana, Cuba.

Colombia's political representatives -- including Congress leaders, Senate leaders, party leaders and government negotiators -- met Monday in Bogota with Santos. Former Colombian President Álvaro Uribe, who had been leading the campaign against the referendum, did not attend. But there was no indication of what came out of the Monday meeting. Colombia was thrown into confusion after voters narrowly rejected a referendum on the deal brokered between the government and FARC, a Marxist rebel group. Final results showed a little more than 50% voted no. What happens next in Colombia? The rejection was a shock because the agreement had taken more than four years to negotiate and would have ended five decades of war that left an estimated 220,000 people dead. Also on Monday, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon said he would send his special envoy, Jean Arnault, to Havana for talks on the peace agreement. He said he was encouraged that both sides appeared to want to end armed conflict. "After more than five decades of war, the Colombian people deserve no less," he said through a spokesperson. US State Department spokesman John Kirby commended the peaceful election and said "difficult decisions are going to have to be taken in the days ahead." He said the United States supports Santos' efforts for a broad dialogue. The referendum appeared to fail because Colombians thought the deal didn't do enough to punish the FARC rebels. FARC had seized territory, attacked government forces and conducted high-profile kidnappings. The rebels also hijacked planes, made millions trafficking cocaine and forced children to fight.</s>Colombians on Sunday narrowly rejected a peace deal that seeks to end Latin America’s longest-running war.

Voters rejected the agreement between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia by a 50.2-49.7 percent margin.

The referendum took place six days after President Juan Manuel Santos and FARC Commander Rodrigo “Timochenko” Londoño signed the historic agreement during a ceremony in the city of Cartagena that U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry attended.

More than 200,000 people have died in the conflict that began in 2012.

Representatives of Colombia Diversa and Caribe Afirmativo — two LGBT advocacy groups — took part in the peace talks between the Colombian government and the FARC that began in Havana in 2012.

Santos, who has sought an end to the decades-long conflict since his 2010 election, said in a televised-address that he accepts the referendum results. Media reports indicate his government’s negotiators will travel to Havana on Monday to meet with FARC leaders who were awaiting the results from there.

“I will continue seeking peace until the last minute of my mandate,” said Santos. “This is the path towards leaving a better country to our children.”

Former President Álvaro Uribe and others sharply criticized the deal because it would allow FARC members who admit their crimes during the conflict to not serve any prison time.

“We want to contribute to a great national pact,” said Uribe in a statement on the referendum results. “It is fundamental to us that risks to our values — freedom, institutional justice, pluralism, confidence in private enterprise accompanied with universal and quality education as the base of social policy — are not made in the name of peace.”

The peace deal that was formalized in August in Havana specifically acknowledges the conflict’s LGBT victims. It notes the “fundamental rights” of LGBT Colombians and other vulnerable groups and calls for the creation of a “democratic culture and participation” in the country.

Colombia Diversa, Caribe Afirmativo and more than 100 LGBT advocacy groups launched a campaign that urged Colombians to vote for the peace deal.

“The peace agreement will allow for the construction of a more inclusive Colombia,” wrote Caribe Afirmativo Director Wilson Castañeda last week in an op-ed for the Washington Blade.

Castañeda described the referendum results to the Blade as a “very painful historical moment.”

“We are very surprised,” he said from the city of Barranquilla.

Laura Weinstein, a transgender rights advocate in the Colombian capital of Bogotá, expressed a similar sentiment.

“People are very sad,” she told the Blade on Sunday.

Hunter T. Carter of the New York City Bar Association, who lives part-time in Medellín with his Colombian husband, described the referendum results as “awkward.”

Religious and conservative groups reportedly pressured Santos’ government to abandon efforts to extend adoption rights to gays and lesbians in exchange for their support of the deal.

Castañeda told the Blade that Uribe and Inspector General Alejandro Ordóñez, who has challenged efforts to extend marriage rights to same-sex couples in the country, urged Colombians to oppose the peace agreement because it “put the stability of the family at risk.” Carter noted on his twitter page that Uribe and Ordóñez “decried” the 140 LGBT-specific references in the deal.

“We reiterate our respect for liberty, the privacy of every citizen and reiterate the need to stimulate family values without putting them at risk,” said Uribe in his statement on the referendum results.
Referendum voters in Colombia narrowly fail to ratify a peace deal between the Government of Colombia and FARC.