Notes

Fico Gutierrez and the danger of "Uribe’s candidate"
Since Sunday night Federico Fico Gutierrez, the Colombian presidential candidate has been the most powerful. Even though it's not the first time that his name is on an electoral card - he has been mayor and councilor in Medellin - his first test in a presidential election that he won more than 2 million votes in the Team for Colombia coalition, they place him as a desired candidate of the conservative groups or those who feel scared when they think of a leftist presidency. Fico (47-year-old Fico), as he's referred to, is the main opponent of Gustavo Petro. He was in the Historic Pact, one of three candidates in the race which decided who would represent the three most powerful forces in politics.

The presidential election has only started. https://elpais.com/internacional/2022-03-14/fico-gutierrez-y-el-riesgo-de-reconocerse-como-el-candidato-de-uribe.html Whether Medellin's former mayor will be able to become the ultimate anti-porrismo force will be contingent on the alliances are formed and the talks that he conducts. He will have to not only unify the entire right, but also win over a small portion of the centre electorate that was shattered on Sunday. He'll have to maintain his distance from the previous president Alvaro Urbine, something that is not something he's done in the past. Today, for only the second time in 20 years, the open support of Uribism instead of adding could subtract. "Federico Gutierrez faces a dilemma. He'll need to create an alliance to the Democratic Center (CD), Uribe's party. But he must also convince the center that it is the one to make the final decision on where to go," Yann Basset from the University of Rosario, analyst and professor.

As it moves towards joining forces with the CD, which is where uribism is a major issue, this Monday Fico has already achieved its first triumph. The party's candidate on Monday, former president candidate Oscar Ivan Zuluaga, took a step aside, recognized the few opportunities to compete with him and provided his support. Now we will see if the entire Uribismo group - that is without an elected representative does the same. Especially when Uribe gives his support openly and attempts to convince his electorate with the traditional concerns of the Colombian right, which is not that difficult for Uribe. His speech of "security", "order", "opportunities" and "love of the country" already showed him that he adds votes. He proved this by an electoral consult, just as previously at Antioquia's mayor office. In a recent trip to Arauca (an area that has been particularly affected by violence), he stated "The bandits are in prison or are in graves." Fico knows what the Colombian right wing is a fan of, but it will not suffice for him.

Basset states that we are not in a time when the fear of a left was effective. "This time the people don't feel scared." Basset's analyst suggests that Fico might not get Uribe's blessing due to the fact Alvaro Uribe has lost his leadership position since 2002 when Uribe was elected president. The votes of Uribismo are still important to Gutierrez. Fico Gutierrez Uribism contributed to the victory of the coalition. Basset warns that right now, his abilities as a negotiator are going be limited. "To persuade the right not to invest all his resources in this alliance, will be his goal." On this relationship between former President Uribe and Fico, the expert Andres Mejia Vergnaud remarks "the greatest challenge for Federico Gutierrez is that he wants the votes of Uribismo but not the picture with Uribe as it doesn't make sense for him to be his candidate".

Gustavo Petro, the leader of the left is the only person who can lead, but Gustavo Petro, the leader of the right, is still running for president. Unless Fico – again, should this be possible - convinces him to stay out and join him. Rodolfo Sanchez, who ran on his own, is still in the race. Gutierrez will have an impressive list of achievements that include the former mayor of Bucaramanga who is an architect and millionaire.

Gutierrez will have a lot to negotiate before he thinks about possible formulas for the presidency. But what Gutierrez does have is the cooperation and support of other candidates on the Team for Colombia presidency. And it's not little. The two former mayors, Enrique Penalosa of Bogota and Alex Char of Barranquilla; the leader of the Conservative party David Barguil and Aydee Zarazo Aydee Zarazo, who is a Christian party leader, who make their decisions judiciously, in accordance with the guidelines of the lectern in his church.

https://zonacero.com/politica/fico-gutierrez-llama-la-union-fajardo-para-derrotar-petro-188733 The Conservative Party was strengthened, and it won the largest right-wing vote of more than two million votes. The Conservative Party also enjoys the backing of the U Party. https://www.portafolio.co/elecciones-2022/discurso-fico-gutierrez-tras-ganar-coalicion-de-equipo-por-colombia-562882 This party had an outstanding vote in legislative with less than 1 million votes. https://www.eluniversal.com.co/politica/conozca-a-fico-gutierrez-candidato-de-equipo-por-colombia-a-la-presidencia-AX6257332 https://www.facebook.com/FicoGutierrez The support of Oscar Ivan Zuluaga, who did not let many hours pass after Sunday's elections and apologize for his loss ahead of a possible battle for the votes of the right, provides Fico the chance to push forward in the conservative wing however, it distances him a little more from votes that could be cast from the center. What former president Alvaro Uribe says, who summoned his party for a meeting on Tuesday is the most important information needed to decide if Fico takes a risk to be a center-right candidate as a result of being the Uribe's blessing.
Homepage: https://www.facebook.com/FicoGutierrez