A whole controversy arose after a meeting was confirmed between the Green Oxygen party candidate, Ingrid Betancourt and former president Álvaro Uribe Vélez. Several political fronts criticized the presidential candidate, including the two congressmen of her political party, but she replied that “talking does not mean alliing” and what she is trying to do is a big pact against corruption.
“Talking doesn't mean alliing. Polarization does not allow us to move forward. The center must come together to convene a major national pact against corruption without ideologies. Light red line: excluding gamonals and owners of the machinery. You're welcome,” said the presidential candidate on her Twitter account.
However, Daniel Carvalho and Humberto de la Calle, the two congressmen of the Green Oxygen party, in a statement rejected this meeting with Álvaro Uribe Velez, stating that “it is clearly incoherent to seek alliances with parties such as the Democratic Center. In this case, we are also emphatic in saying that the ideas of former President Uribe thoroughly contradict our convictions and vision of the country.”
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Faced with this, she replied on her Twiiter account that, “it's surprising that when they want to be with Sergio they don't want to be part of the party and when they want to neutralize the party's strategy, now they are from here. We are calling for a major national pact against corruption, where are you? ” and then in an interview with Blu Radio he said: “there are several options, I think that at some point they should think about withdrawing from the party, because they don't converge with the decisions and I don't see how else this could be solved. They have some obligations to the party.”
Now, Daniel Carvalho, in an interview with El Espectador, referred to what happened with the presidential candidate, said that Betancourt is going to “pay dearly for her incoherence” due to her latest pronouncements and approaches with some political sectors. Carvalho also assured that he and Humberto de la Calle are “tied” in the first round by an electoral law.
“She talks about a match strategy, but in reality there is only one strategy of her own. With that I feel quite uncomfortable and a little disappointed because, I insist, the will of me and many is to build the Oxygen Green Party”, the congressman of the Oxygen Green party said to El Espectador.
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Another point made by the congressman is that with the presidential candidate “there has been no communication with us. I made an appointment with Dr. Ingrid Betancourt 10 days ago when I was in Bogotá, but I couldn't have it. I was attended by the party director. So, I feel like she's not playing this collectively, she's not respecting the fact that she already has two elected congressmen and she continues to make decisions on a one-person basis.”
The presidential elections will take place on May 29 and according to Carvalho “as long as she is the candidate for Oxygen Green, Betancourt cannot give Humberto and me freedom. As much as she says so, we cannot support any other candidate because the electoral law is above the party's decisions. The freedom she has spoken about in the media does not really exist, we are tied because both Dr. Humberto and I had entered this candidacy within the coalition, with the aim and commitment of supporting the winner of the consultation. But since we can't do it, let's say we're without a candidate.”
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