Since Sunday night, Federico Fico Gutierrez is the most stable presidential candidate in Colombia. This isn’t the first time that his name appears on the election ballot. In fact, he was the city’s mayor and councilor in Medellin. It was his first national vote. The Team for Colombia coalition won more than two-million votes. They consider him to be a candidate for the right-wing movements. Fico (Medellin, 47 years old), as he is popularly known, is, from last night and at the moment the most prominent adversary of Gustavo Petro, who with the Historic Pact movement was one of the top three candidates on the day of elections that determined who would become the representatives of the three most important political parties.
The presidential campaign is only getting underway. The way the former mayor from Medellin will be able to counter petrismo and forge alliances with other countries will determine his success. He will need to unify the right, as well as conquer the center electorate, which was weak and lacking an effective leader on Sunday. To achieve this, he will have to continue to avoid, just like he has done with AlvaroUribe, in the same image. Today, for just the second time in 20 years, the open support of Uribism, instead of adding to the picture, could reduce. “Federico Gutierrez faces a dilemma. He must form an alliance with the Democratic Center (CD) – Uribe’s party . But at the same time he must convince the center, which has to decide where it’s going,” says Yann Basset an researcher and professor at the University of Rosario.
Fico achieved its first conquest this Monday , on its path to a pledge of allegiance to the CD. Oscar Ivan Zuluaga (the former presidential candidate) stepped aside and acknowledged his limited chances of competing with him. He provided his assistance. We will now examine if the whole Uribismo group – that has been left without a representative elected is doing the same. Particularly if Uribe declares his support publicly and try to convince his electorate with the classic issues of the Colombian right, something that is not that difficult for him. http://hawkee.com/profile/1372586/ delivered of “security”, “order”, “opportunities” and “love of the country” already showed him that he is able to add votes. He confirmed it this Sunday during the election consultation similar to what he had done previously when he was at Antioquia’s office of the mayor, where he was also known as the sheriff of Medellin. “The bandits are in prison or in graves”” Fico stated recently when he visited Arauca, an area especially targeted by violence. Fico is aware of what Colombian law prefers. But that won’t be enough for Fico.
“We aren’t in the year 2018 where the fear of the left was effective, but this time, the voters are not influenced by fear,” Basset points out. According to the analyst, it is evident that the profile of Alvaro Uribe is no longer the leader with absolute power which the country has seen since 2002 in the year he was elected president for the first time, and that his party, the CD which is currently going through a difficult time which could result in Fico avoid receiving, at least openly, Uribe’s blessing. The support of Uribismo are still crucial to Gutierrez. “This victory [winning in the coalition] is in part due to Uribism. His ability as a negotiator will be evaluated: to convince the right but not to spend everything for that alliance,” Basset warns. Andres Mesjia Vergnaud, analyst comments on Fico’s relationship with the former president: “The great difficulty of Federico Gutierrez’s desire for the support of Uribismo but without the photo of Uribe as it does not make sense for him to be his candidate.”
Gustavo Petro is left-leaning, while Gustavo Petro is right-leaning. However, Fico – if he is able to negotiate – will be able to convince Gustavo Petro to support him. Rodolfo Hernández, who was independent, is still in contest. Gutierrez must mention the accomplishments of the former mayor of Bucaramanga and millionaire builder, Rodolfo Hernandez if he will fight against petrismo.
Gutierrez has lots of work to do before he is even considering the names of his presidential formula. What Gutierrez has already is the support from the other candidates for the leadership of the Team for Colombia alliance. It’s not too much. Two former mayors, Enrique Penalosa(Bogota), and Alex Char (Barranquilla), are with him. David Barguil, the leader and the founder of the Conservative party, is in the same room with Aydee Zarazo, Aydee Lizarazo of a Christian Party who usually vote according to her church’s rules.
In addition to the strengthened Conservative Party – it achieved the biggest vote of right-wing forces for Congress with over two million votes – it has the sympathy of the U Party, which also received a rousing vote in the legislative with more than 1 million votes. Oscar Ivan Zuluaga’s support who refused to let the election of Sunday go by in order to accept his loss before a possible confrontation for votes of the right, gives Fico an advantage in the conservative wing but also distances him from any votes that could come from the center. The statement of Alvaro Uribe, the former President, who summoned his party to a meeting Tuesday, will establish if Fico is willing to sacrifice his chances at the center to be openly the blessed Uribe.