In the middle of the presidential debate, Federico Gutiérrez took a photo of Gustavo Petro

On the night of this holiday Monday, a new presidential debate was held organized by Noticias RCN and RCN Radio and which, a few hours after the start, presented great news on the guest panel.

In the afternoon, Gustavo Petro announced through his Twitter account that he would not participate in any discussion between candidates “until the transparency of the vote is guaranteed”, referring to the counting of votes requested by the national registrar, Alexander Vega and also denouncing that there is no “transparent chain of custody”, for the manipulation of the corresponding votes of the elections held on 13 March.

So things were attended by Federico Gutiérrez, Ingrid Betancourt, Sergio Fajardo and Enrique Gómez, a candidate for the National Salvation Movement who was attending a debate for the first time. Petro's lectern was empty throughout the meeting.

One of the issues was the economic crisis that the country is going through due to inflation, generated by the high prices of imports of inputs for planting and growing food in the Colombian countryside. Sergio Fajardo and Federico Gutiérrez agreed that more inputs should be produced internally for agricultural development, but Gómez - who records 0.3% intention to vote according to the latest poll done by the firm YanHass - blamed the candidate of the Historical Pact for the rise in prices of much food.

“Here is not the candidate who led to the disorders of April and May 2021 that broke production chains and disrupted the protein and food supply for the whole country,” said the right-wing aspirant. By the way, he highlighted his absence to speak on this topic in the debate.

Where is Petro to respond to Colombians for this rise in inflation? asked Gómez; and Federico Gutiérrez complemented with a gesture that caused controversy on social networks.

“We agree with what you have raised because, that's it, there are some exogenous and external factors that have increased food prices; but since this man did not come, I want to present them to him,” said 'Gutiérrez' while taking a printed photograph of Gustavo Petro from his folder.

And he continued with his speech: “As we are used to not seeing him in the debates, I brought them to you: I present to you Gustavo Petro. This man is responsible - for the crisis - and many of those who dedicated themselves to blocking the roads at the time of the strike”, at the same time he received several applause from the applicant for the National Salvation Movement.

As expected, this fact did not go unnoticed on social networks, and on Twitter many questioned this gesture. The memes did not take long to arrive and several spoke of an “obsession” of 'Fico' with the former mayor of Bogotá.

But the reactions didn't stop there. Petro himself published, through a trill, a still from the moment when his contender exhibited a photo of him in the middle of the debate. He did not use any description, but he gave a sign that he was pending that discussion.

The debate continued and Gutiérrez continued with his speech “(...) and people wonder why eggs and chicken are expensive; do you know by whom? Because of this man,” he said while pointing to the photo of his electoral rival.

He then saved the image and concluded by saying that, in a possible government of his, he would guarantee peaceful social protest without allowing violence and blockades on the roads.

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