Since the night of Sunday, Federico Fico Gutierrez had been the most reliable candidate for the presidency of Colombia. This isn’t his first appearance on an electoral card. He was previously councilor and mayor in Medellin. His first attempt in national elections, where he received more than 2 million votes from the Team for Colombia coalition, saw him placed as an ideal candidate for conservative movements. Fico (47 year old Medellin) is at this moment, Gustavo Petro’s main opponent. http://mediball.hu/members/fico-gutierrezdshq705/activity/566803/ was with the Historic Pact Movement one of the top candidates in the election which determined who were the leaders of the three biggest political forces were.
The presidential campaign is only starting. The question of whether the former mayor of Medellin will be a true counterweight to petrismo depends on the alliances and negotiations which he develops in the coming days. He’ll have to unite the right and also win over the middle electorate, which was apathetic and without a strong leader on Sunday. In order to do that it will be necessary to avoid the same thing he has avoided to date by not appearing in the same photograph with former President Alvaro Uribe. Today, for the first time in the past 20 years, there is an open acceptance of uribism instead of adding, could reduce. “Federico Gutierrez faces a dilemma. He has to form an alliance, Uribe’s side and the Democratic Center. However, the challenge is convincing Uribe and the center, which is the one to determine its course,” Yann basset, analyst at the University of Rosario.
In the process of forming an alliance with the CD which is where uribism is a major issue, this Monday Fico has already achieved its first conquest. The party’s candidate up until Monday, former president aspirant Oscar Ivan Zuluaga, took a step aside, recognized his few chances of competing with him, and provided his support. We’ll see if the whole Uribismo group, which was left without a spokesperson until Monday, is willing to offer its support. Uribe will be able to openly support his candidate and convince his voters by presenting the classic issues that are part of the Colombian left. This shouldn’t be a problem for him. His remarks on “security”, “order”, “opportunities”, and “love the fatherland” already proved that he is a good addition to voters. This Sunday, he verified that at the consultation on electoral reform. This was done before while he was in Antioquia as mayor. While visiting Arauca in Colombia, which is one of the most violent regions Fico claimed that “the bandits in prison” or “in a grave”. Fico knows well what the Colombian right likes however it won’t suffice for Fico.
Basset claims that we’re not in 2018 when the fear of a left has worked as well. “This time, the electorate does not feel fear.” Basset suggests that Fico may not be able to receive Uribe’s blessing due to the fact that Alvaro Uribe isn’t the only leader that the country has had since 2002 at the time Uribe was elected president. While Uribismo isn’t in the running however, that does not mean Gutierrez can’t count on the votes of Uribismo. “This victory [winning in the coalition] is not only due to Uribism. His ability as a negotiator will be evaluated: to persuade the right, but not to invest everything on the alliance,” Basset warns. Andres Mesjia Vergnaud, analyst commenting on Fico’s ties with the former president: “The great difficulty of Federico Gutierrez’s desire for the support of Uribismo without the image of Uribe as it does not make sense for him to be his candidate.”
Gustavo Petro is the only left-wing leader However, Gustavo Petro is the only one from the right. Fico, if he can negotiate, will convince him to give his backing and step aside. Rodolfo Hernandez remains in the race despite having run independently. Gutierrez must mention the accomplishments of the former mayor of Bucaramanga and billionaire builder, Rodolfo Hernandez, if is to fight petrismo.
Gutierrez has lots of work ahead of him before he can even think of the names of the presidential formula. But what Gutierrez has already is the support from the other candidates running for the leadership of the Team for Colombia alliance. It’s not a small amount. He has by his side two former mayors Enrique Penalosa (Bogota) and Alex Char (Barranquilla); the leader of the Conservative party, David Barguil, and a woman named Aydee Lizarazo. They are members of the Christian party, who normally makes judicious decisions based on the instructions from the lectern of his church.
Alongside the stronger Conservative Party (which won the most votes of right-wing groups for Congress and more than two millions votes) Additionally, it enjoys the support and sympathy of the U Party, which had an impressive vote in the legislature, winning just under one million votes. https://fico-gutierrezamrx280.tumblr.com/post/683221676653150208/fico-gutierrez-completed-the-medellin-half of Oscar Ivan Zuluaga, who didn’t let a long time pass after Sunday’s elections and apologize for his loss before a possible confrontation for the right-wing votes, gives Fico the chance to push forward in a sector of conservatism, but distances Fico from votes that could be cast from the middle. Alvaro Uribe from the past, who called his party to a gathering Tuesday night, said that Fico might risk the possibility of becoming a leader in the center party in exchange for being publicly blessed with Uribe.