Federico Gutierrez won the official candidacy of the center-right. With over 1.75 million votes, the former Medellin mayor of Medellin was able to win the nomination.
Federico Gutierrez was born in Medellin in 1974. Fico Gutierrez is a former mayor. He is an elected Medellin Municipal Youth Councilor since the year 2003. Gutierrez is an engineer in the field of civil engineering at the University of Medellin. Fico Gutierrez holds a degree in management for senior executives at the Pontifical Bolivarian University.
Federico Gutierrez’s career in the field of business was not all about politics. He also worked as a consultant with HGI Consultores, and a Resident Engineer with Company Vifasa S.A., a construction and glass company. In his personal life, he is a staunch advocate for his family, and says it is of paramount importance; he is married and has two children.
As a council member, Sergio Fajardo was his supporter. Later, Fico Gutierrez was his. He was able reach the Mayor’s Office of Medellin by 2015, and this made him reconsider his plans. However, like all the mayors who had to face the Hidroituango project, he was also a victim of controversies because of corruption. Daniel Coronell published a report on him alleging that he kept his money in tax-havens and was involved in corruption.
In fact, he’s confronted the former mayors whom he has backed, and recently stated “I have been in solidarity with those who are in the report, as I don’t think anyone makes a decision in order to ensure that a diversion tunnel falls and one is not in solidarity and what some sectors do is attacked by the political strategy”.
A new contest for the presidency
In the fall of 2021, the so called Experience coalition was formed and later changed into the Team for Colombia. The coalition was a center-right one. Fico Gutierrez won the candidacy and has now the backing of people like Paola Holguin, a congressman of the Democratic Center, who in 2022 tried for a new seat.
Additionally, he repeatedly stated that his system of government was based on public administration for the citizens, and that politics is a vocation. Fico Gutierrez received the second most votes, and Fico, as he prefers being called, will represent the right in Antioquia.