The right-wing candidate Federico Gutiérrez assured that his rival was the only one who “has attacked democracy”: “That is pure story of those who really put democracy at risk. Who is going to postpone elections, for God’s sake! In eight days the people will have already voted and the results will be known that will show that we are going to win the Presidency,” he declared this Sunday in Medellín.
The left-wing candidate in Colombia, Gustav Petro, summoned two of his opponents to a meeting on Monday in the face of an alleged government plan to prevent the presidential elections on May 29.
Electoral experts and members of the Government itself affirm that these rumors lack truth.
One week before the elections that might give him victory, Gustavo Petro surprised his followers.
At a campaign closing ceremony in Barranquilla This Saturday, the candidate for the presidency of Colombia assured that the Government He had a plan so that the elections do not take place on May 29.
The candidate for the leftist Historical Pact warned that this announcement would be official next Tuesday.
“They plan to suspend the elections, they plan to suspend the bodies that direct the electoral regime in Colombia,” declared from the main urban center of the Colombian Caribbean.
And in front of what he called “a blow to the elections”, the candidate who leads all the polls called an “urgency meeting” with two of his rivals in the race for the presidency.
“I summon in this public square, in this crowded street, all the political campaigns currently in competition, the campaign of Sergio Fajardo (center), to the campaign of Rodolfo Hernandez (populist), to the campaign of the Historical Pact, to be on alert. I invite you to meet on Monday.” said.
URGENT @petrogustavo calls for campaigns @sergio_fajardo and Rodolfo Hernandez to an urgent meeting because this “Tuesday” they plan to suspend the elections.
So he said today in Barranquilla. pic.twitter.com/PAbcor2cAs
— Hollman Morris (@HOLLMANMORRIS) May 22, 2022
Persistent rumors of electoral fraud in Colombia
Petro’s accusations came on the same day as the national registrar, Alexander Vega, gave a press conference in which he promised guarantees that fraud will not occur in the elections.
For his part, the Colombian Minister of the Interior, Daniel Palaces, denied the claims in social networks, at the time you requested “to candidates and teams not to generate disinformation”.
Affirmations that speak of the postponement or suspension of the elections are absolutely false. We ask candidates and teams not to generate misinformation.
Transparent elections start with the responsibility of candidates not to promote false information– Daniel Palacios (@DanielPalam) May 22, 2022
Those rumors have been circulating in Colombia since the beginning of the week, by various politicians. The first to refer to this supposed plot was the Senator Rodrigo Lara, who affirmed that the Executive or the Attorney wanted to suspend the elections.
Daniel Palacios had also rejected these accusations, as had the director of the NGO Electoral Observation Mission.
According to Alejandra Barrios it is “really impossible” that the elections be suspended because it is only stipulated for reasons of force majeure, such as a natural disaster.
It is that in Colombia elections have never been suspended or postponed, not even in the worst years of the war between the State and the extinct FARC guerrilla.
Impressive security measures for the “Petro-Márquez” formula
In other events of the campaign historic pact, the vice-presidential candidate France Marquez she had to be escorted off the stage where she was giving her closing speech, in Bogotá, also that Saturday.
The Afro-Colombian activist was targeted by a green laser and she must have finished her speech while they covered her with protective shields.
Gustavo Petro’s security was also recently reinforced, before the suspicion of his team that they wanted to assassinate him.
At the Barranquilla event, the 62-year-old candidate arrived in an armored vehicle to the back of a platform, from which he spoke, surrounded by bodyguards, more than 100 meters from where the public was.
All the polls agree in showing the leftist as the favorite to win the elections, although he would not achieve it in the first round. The unknown is with whom the second round will be played, if with “Fico” Gutiérrez or with Rodolfo Hernández.
This Sunday, the last day allowed by the electoral law for candidates to hold events in public places, Petro and Márquez closed their electoral campaign in Bogotá.
With the symbolic Plaza de Bolívar full, the formula for the Historical Pact stated that it was certain of its victory on May 29.
The latest survey by the firm Invamer, published last Friday, gives Petro a vote intention of 40.6%, followed by Federico “Fico” Gutiérrez, from the right-wing coalition Equipo por Colombia, with 27.1%. , and by the populist Hernández, with 20.9%.