Since the night of Sunday, Federico Fico Gutierrez was the most consistent presidential candidate in Colombia. This isn’t the first time his name appears on an election ballot. In fact, he was the city’s mayor and councilor in Medellin. It was his first national election. The Team for Colombia coalition won more than two-million votes. They consider him to be a candidate of the conservative movement. Fico (Medellin, 47 years old) who is known, is since last night and currently is the primary opposition to Gustavo Petro, who with the Historic Pact movement was one of the winners of the day of the election that established who would become the representatives of the three main political forces.
The presidential election is just getting underway. The way the former mayor from Medellin will be able to combat petrismo, forge alliances with other countries will determine the success of his campaign. Not only will he be required to unite the whole right under his control, but also must take on a portion of voters in the center which was sunk on Sunday with any extraordinary leadership. He must avoid, as he has so far, being in the same photograph with Alvaro Uribe. Today, for the second time in the last 20 years it is clear that the support for Uribism rather than adding might be a negative. “Federico Gutierrez faces a dilemma. He must make an alliance, on Uribe’s side, with the Democratic Center. However, Gutierrez must convince Uribe and the center, which will have to decide its course,” Yann basset, analyst at the University of Rosario.
As it moves towards an alliance with the CD, in which uribism is a major issue on Monday, Fico has already achieved its first conquest. The candidate of that party until this Monday, former president candidate Oscar Ivan Zuluaga, took his leave, acknowledged the few opportunities to compete with him, and gave his support. Now , it will be interesting to see if the entire collective that is without a representative, follows his example. Particularly if Uribe is willing to openly support and attempts to convince his voters with the most basic concerns of the Colombian right, which should not be a problem for him. He already proved that he can make a difference by making a speech on “security”,” “order” as well as “love for the homeland”. This was confirmed on Sunday during the consultation on electoral reform, as he did previously during his time at Antioquia’s office of the mayor, where there was also a name for him: the sheriff of Medellin. “The bandits in prison or in graves”” Fico stated recently during a trip to Arauca, an area especially targeted by violence. Fico is aware of the Colombian right’s preferences but that doesn’t suffice for him.
“We aren’t in the year 2018, where the fear of the left had worked, but this time, voters are not influenced by fear,” Basset points out. Basset argues that Fico may not be able to get Uribe’s blessing, because Alvaro Uribe has not been able to claim the title of the absolute leader since 2002, when the nation chose him as president. Even though https://ficogutierrezpoes225.wordpress.com/2022/04/29/fico-gutierrez-ran-medellin-half-marathon-how-did-it-go/ is below the table, it does not necessarily mean that Gutierrez isn’t able to count on the votes of Uribismo. Uribism is also the reason for this win. Basset warns that right now, his negotiation skills are going to be restricted. “To convince the right, but not to invest all his resources in this alliance, is his measure.” Andres Medjia Vergnaud remarked on the relationship between the former president and Fico. “The biggest issue of Federico Gutierrez’s relationship is that he wants Uribismo to support him, but without Uribe as a picture the image doesn’t work for him.”
Gustavo Petro is left-leaning, while Gustavo Petro is right-leaning. However, Fico – if he can negotiate and convince Gustavo Petro to support him. Rodolfo Hernandez, who ran independently, is running. Former mayor of Bucaramanga builter and millionaire, who been able to present himself well in the polls thanks to his anti-corruption speech in a lighthearted manner is one of the candidates Gutierrez should include on his list of achievements in order to win the fight to petrismo.
Gutierrez has a lot to negotiate before he thinks about possible presidential formula names. However what Gutierrez does have is the cooperation and support of the other candidates in the Team for Colombia presidency. And it’s not little. He is surrounded by two former mayors Enrique Penalosa (Bogota) and Alex Char (Barranquilla); the leader of the Conservative party, David Barguil, and a woman named Aydee Lizarazo, of a Christian party who typically is a judicious voter, as directed from the lectern in his church.
In addition to the more powerful Conservative Party (which won the most votes among right-wing forces for Congress, with more than two million votes) It also enjoys the support and sympathy of the U Party, which had an outstanding vote at the legislative level, with less than 1 million votes. Oscar Ivan Zuluaga supported Fico, and he didn’t wait until after the results of Sunday’s election to concede defeat ahead of a potential confrontation with the votes for the right. This will give Fico an extra push into a conservative segment but keeps him far from the middle. What former president Alvaro Uribe says, who summoned his party to a meeting on Tuesday is the most important point to know if Fico risks his chances in the center in exchange for being openly the blessed of Uribe.