Colombia after his involvement in the "8000 Process scandal". Upon her return, Colombia was facing an economic crisis, political and social instability without precedents and decided to prepare herself for the presidency of Colombia. Presidential candidate 1998 In the 1998 presidential elections, Sanín supported by her founded political movement Yes Colombia did surprisingly well, receiving about 27% of the vote, to finish third behind leaders Horacio Serpa and Andrés Pastrana, who each received about 35% in the first round. Running on an anti-unemployment campaign, Sanín in fact won the most votes in the cities of Bogotá and Medellín, but fared poorly in the countryside. Her campaign later supported the Great Alliance for Change led by Andrés Pastrana. Presidential candidate 2002 In 2002, she ran again for president, this time as a member of her own movement, the Yes Colombia party. With national security overriding the other issues in the campaign, she did far worse than in 1998 and received only 5.8% of the vote. Part of her platform was to denounce Álvaro Uribe's ties with extreme right-wing paramilitary groups. Ambassador of Colombia in Spain 2003 In 2003, Sanín became Colombia's Ambassador to Spain. She decided not to run for the 2006 Colombian presidential elections. As Colombian ambassador to Spain Sanín had to deal with the growing discrimination against Colombians in that country, issues related to illegal Colombian immigrants in Spain and the large number of Colombian citizens imprisoned in the European country. She also promoted numerous cultural exchanges and advocated on behalf of temporary work and technical and education training for Colombians in Spain. On November 19, 2007 President Uribe announced her transfer to the United Kingdom diplomatic mission, being replaced by the Vice President of Colombia, Francisco Santos. Ambassador of Colombia in the United Kingdom 2007 On November 19, 2007, President Álvaro Uribe requested the government of the United Kingdom for Sanín's approval as ambassador of Colombia to the United Kingdom. The move came after the ambassador to the United Kingdom Carlos Eduardo Medellín Becerra was transferred to the Netherlands after the Ambassador Guillermo Fernández de Soto resigned alleging family problems. According to the Colombian newspaper El Tiempo, Sanín's ambassadorship in the United Kingdom would be temporary, as she entertained presidential aspirations. Her resignation was effective on 23 July 2009. Presidential candidate 2010 In 2010, she ran again for president, this time as a member of the conservative party.