Colombia's Liberal Party backs center-right Gutierrez for president

By Luis Jaime Acosta

BOGOTA – Colombia’s Liberal Get together, which gained extra seats than another within the decrease home and the third most seats within the Senate in latest legislative elections, on Wednesday threw its weight behind center-right presidential candidate Federico Gutierrez.

Get together alliances might assist push candidates over the road within the Could 29 contest and are more likely to have an effect on the eventual winner’s means to push by way of laws when their time period begins in August.

Leftist Gustavo Petro – a former guerrilla who was later elected to congress and as mayor of capital Bogota – leads opinion polls forward of what is going to possible be a primary spherical of voting.

In latest surveys he's additionally tapped as most definitely to win in a doable second spherical in June.

Gutierrez, a former mayor of Colombia’s second metropolis Medellin, is second in help, climbing within the polls since profitable his coalition’s major in March.

“We're in whole settlement that we should dedicate ourselves to the weak, poor, marginalized individuals of this nation, to the indigenous, the Afro-descendants, to younger individuals,” former president and Liberal Get together chief Cesar Gaviria stated in a press release.

Gutierrez has agreed to incorporate anti-poverty and social growth efforts in his potential authorities’s agenda, Gaviria stated, in addition to enhance training and well being companies.

Petro, who lately met with Gaviria and courted Liberal help, criticized the get together for supporting his rival.

“Cesar Gaviria has determined to stay to his logic, becoming a member of with neo-liberalism to guard the rights of companies and privatize public companies,” Petro stated in a video message.

Regardless of their get together’s backing of Gutierrez, a gaggle of 15 Liberal Get together lawmakers have pledged their help to Petro.

Backing from the Liberals and the Conservative, U and Radical Change events would assure a majority in congress for Gutierrez if he's elected, however would possible complicate Petro’s deliberate legislative agenda if he have been to win.