Fico Gutierrez is a candidate for being recognized as "Uribe’s candidate"
Since the night of Sunday, Federico Fico Gutierrez had been the most solid candidate for Colombia's presidency. This isn't the first time his name has appeared on the election ballot. In fact, he served as the city's mayor and councilor in Medellin. It was his first election in the national arena. The Team for Colombia coalition won more than two million votes. They consider him to be a candidate for the conservative movements. Fico (47 years old Medellin) is at the time, Gustavo Petro's main opponent. https://www.efe.com/efe/usa/america/fico-gutierrez-se-perfila-como-el-candidato-de-un-sector-la-derecha-colombiana/50000103-4760107 was with the Historic Pact Movement one of the top candidates in the election that decided who the representatives of the three biggest political parties were.
The presidential campaign has just begun. Whether Medellin's former mayor can become the real anti-porrismo force will be dependent on the alliances create and the discussions that he conducts. He will not only be expected to bring together the whole right under his leadership, but also must take on a portion of the electorate at the center which has been slashed on Sunday without any extraordinary leadership. To achieve this it will be necessary to avoid his past mistakes to date appearing in the same photo with the former president Alvaro Uribe. Today, for only the second time in 20 years it is clear that the support for Uribism, instead of adding to the picture, could be a negative. "Federico Gutierrez faces a dilemma. He is required to be a part of the Democratic Center, Uribe’s political party. But https://www.laopinion.com.co/elecciones-2022/vamos-garantizar-el-orden-fico-gutierrez has to convince the center that it will decide where it wants to move," Yann Basset (an analyst and professor at the University of Rosario) says.
The first victory of Fico was achieved this Monday as it began to form the alliance with CD, where uribism is a prime target. The candidate for that party up until Monday, former president candidate Oscar Ivan Zuluaga, took the initiative to step back, acknowledged the few opportunities to compete with him, and provided his support. The next step is to see if the entire Uribismo group - which is without an elected representative does the same. Uribe will be able to openly support his candidate and convince his voters by presenting the traditional issues of the Colombian left. This should not be a problem for him. The speech he delivered about "security" as well as "order", "opportunities", and "love the country" already proved that he is a good addition to voters. As he did during his time in Antioquia's mayor's office and he confirmed this with the election consultation. He said, "The bandits were either in prison or grave," while he was visiting Arauca which is a region that is particularly prone to violence. Fico is aware of what the Colombian right likes but that won't suffice for Fico.
Basset says, "We aren't in 2018 in a time when fear of the Left worked well." According to https://thebogotapost.com/fico-eyes-colombias-presidency-an-interview-with-pre-candidate-federico-gutierrez/49519/ , Fico would not be able to get Uribe's approval if the Alvaro Uribe number is not the one that the nation has been accustomed to since 2002, when Uribe was elected president. While https://www.elespectador.com/politica/elecciones-colombia-2022/oscar-ivan-zuluaga-adhiere-a-fico-gutierrez-para-unir-a-la-derecha-contra-petro/ isn't in the running, it does not necessarily mean Gutierrez cannot count on the support of Uribismo. Uribism was also a key factor in this victory (winning within the coalition). Basset warns now that his negotiation skills will be measured. Andres Méjia Vergnaud comments on the relationship between Fico's former president and Fico. He says that Federico Gutierrez wants Uribismo votes but not Uribe pictures because it's not right for Fico to be his presidential candidate.
Gustavo Petro is the only leader from the left However, Gustavo Petro is the only one on the right. Fico, if he can negotiate, will convince him to offer his backing and take a step back. Rodolfo Sanchez, who ran on his own, is still in the race. Gutierrez must include the former Bucaramanga mayor, a millionaire and builder in his list of achievements should he wish to end the petrismo.
Gutierrez has a lot of work to do before he is even considering the names of the presidential formula. What Gutierrez already has is the backing of the other candidates for the presidency of the Team for Colombia alliance. It's not too much. He is joined by two former mayors, Enrique Penalosa of Bogota and Alex Char of Barranquilla; the leader of the Conservative party David Barguil and Aydee Zarazo, a Christian party leader who vote judiciously in accordance with the guidelines of the lectern of his church.
The Conservative Party was strengthened, and was the party that won the most right-wing vote of more than two million votes. The Conservative Party also enjoys the backing of the U Party. This party was able to win a rousing legislative vote, with just over 1 million votes. Oscar Ivan Zuluaga was there to stand with Fico. He did not quit the elections on Sunday without taking time to play down his defeat and avoid a confrontation for the votes of the right. This provides Fico some momentum in a particular area of conservatism. However, it also keeps him away from potential votes from the center. The words of former President Alvaro Uribe says, who called his party to a gathering on Tuesday and will be the final information needed to decide in the event that Fico takes a risk to be a center-right candidate by being the blessing of Uribe.