Since Sunday night Federico Fico Gutierrez was the most consistent presidential contender for Colombia. Although this isn’t the first time his name is mentioned on electoral cards – he was an elected Medellin mayor and councilor – it was his first run to run for president in a national election. With over two millions votes cast in the Team for Colombia coalition alliance they believe he is an ideal candidate for conservative movements and those who fear the possibility of a leftist president. Fico (47-year-old Fico), who is his name is the principal opposition to Gustavo Petro. He was in the Historic Pact, one of three winners in the election which decided who would represent the three largest political parties.
The presidential campaign just begun. Whether Medellin’s former mayor can be the true opposition to petrismo is dependent on the alliances that he creates and the negotiations that he conducts. He will need to unify the right as well as conquer the middle electorate, which was apathetic and without an effective leader on Sunday. He’ll have to maintain his distance from the previous president Alvaro Urbine, which he has not done in the past. Today’s open support for uribism is a first in the last 20 years. Instead of adding, it might subtract. “Federico Gutierrez faces a dilemma. He is required to join the Democratic Center, Uribe’s political party. But he also must convince the center that it can decide where it would like to go,” Yann Basset (an analyst and professor at the University of Rosario) says.
Fico’s first triumph was announced this Monday as it moved towards the alliance with CD, where uribism is a prime target. The candidate of that party up until Monday, the former presidential aspirant Oscar Ivan Zuluaga, took a step aside, recognized his limited chances of competing with him and provided his support. Now it will be fascinating to see if Uribismo’s whole group that is without a representative, follows his example. Uribe could show his support by being transparent and convincing his electorate with traditional issues that are typical of the Colombian Right. Already, his remarks on “security” and “order”, opportunities and love of our country has shown that Uribe is adding votes. Similar to what he said during his stint in the Antioquia mayor’s office and he confirmed this with the electoral consultation. He claimed, “The bandits were either dead or in prison,” while he was traveling to Arauca, a region that is particularly prone to violence. Fico knows what the Colombian rights are however that’s not enough.
Basset states that we are not in the year 2018 when fear of a Left worked well. “This time the people don’t feel scared.” Basset says that Fico may not get Uribe’s blessing because of the fact that Alvaro Uribe does not represent the absolute leader the country has seen since 2002 when Uribe was elected president. However, this doesn’t mean that Uribismo’s opinions, even if they do not match the criteria, do not matter to Gutierrez. Like was the case this Sunday, or in his bid to get into Medellin’s Mayor’s Office, Uribe supported Gutierrez even while he was a candidate for the party. Uribism also contributed to this victory. Now his ability as a negotiator is measured by his ability to convince the right but not to invest everything to build the alliance,” Basset warns. Andres Méjia Vergnaud reflects on the relationship between the former Fico president and Fico. He claims that Federico Gutierrez wants Uribismo votes but not Uribe pictures because it’s not appropriate for Fico to be his presidential candidate.
Gustavo Petro is left-leaning, and Gustavo Petro is right-leaning. However, Fico – if he is able to negotiate – will convince Gustavo Petro to support him. Rodolfo Hernandez, who contested the election independently, is still in the race. Gutierrez must mention the accomplishments of the former mayor of Bucaramanga and billionaire builder Rodolfo Hernandez if he will fight against petrismo.
Gutierrez has plenty to discuss before even thinking about names for his possible presidential plan, but what he already has is the backing of other candidates that were competing for leadership in the Team for Colombia coalition. This isn’t a small number. He has two former mayors Enrique Penalosa (Bogota), Alex Char (Barranquilla) as his associates. David Barguil (leader of the Conservative Party); and Aydee Zarazo (a Christian party member who is a member of the church).
In https://zenwriting.net/fico-gutierrezzord976/fico-gutierrez-has-completed-the-medellin-half-marathon to the strengthened Conservative Party – it achieved the largest vote of the right-wing parties for Congress with more than two million votes – it has the sympathy of the U Party, which also had an outstanding election in the legislature, winning more than 1 million votes. Oscar Ivan Zuluaga backed Fico. Zuluaga did not just wait for the results of Sunday to declare his defeat. Alvaro Uribe from the past was the party’s leader who summoned his party to a meeting on Tuesday night, suggested that Fico might risk the possibility of becoming a leader in the center party in exchange for being openly blessed with Uribe.