Sergio Fajardo did not attend the debate at the FilBo or the MinInterior guarantee table

The candidate for the presidency of Colombia for the Coalition of Hope, Sergio Fajardo, was notable for his absence from two events to which he was invited this Wednesday, April 20: the Electoral Guarantees Commission, convened by the Ministry of the Interior, and the presidential debate with an emphasis on cultural management, organized by the Mayor's Office within the framework of the Bogotá International Book Fair (FiLBo 2022).

Earlier on Wednesday, the former mayor of Medellín and governor of Antioquia had announced his participation in the debate as part of his public agenda. However, the candidate Fajardo was unable to return from Villavicencio (Meta), where he is after completing his schedule there and in the municipalities of Restrepo, Cumaral and Acacias.

“Unfortunately, due to bad weather, we were unable to leave Villavicencio for Bogotá. I am very sorry that I am not able to participate in the debate at the FilBo. It is a subject that interests me deeply and with which I have worked as mayor, as governor: the issue of culture and, of course, that of regional development and the role for the construction of our country,” said Fajardo, who is a regular assistant to this type of meeting.

In addition to Fajardo, another major absent from this meeting was the presidential candidate of the Historical Pact movement, Gustavo Petro. According to his communications team, the left-wing aspirant was in Buenaventura on Tuesday and will manage a private agenda this Wednesday. The rest of the candidates on the card did attend: Ingrid Betancourt, Federico Gutiérrez, Rodolfo Hernandez, Enrique Gomez, Luis Perez and John Milton Rodriguez.

On the other hand, the candidate received an invitation from the Ministry of the Interior and the Office of the Attorney General of the Nation to attend the next session of the National Commission on Electoral Guarantees, a contingency body that was created due to allegations of fraud by some political sectors following the legislative elections of 13 July march.

In a statement addressed to the Minister of the Interior, Daniel Palacios, Fajardo thanked him for the invitation extended to him and announced his decision to “not attend and not delegate the spokesperson for my campaign to anyone at that meeting”, arguing that the commission has no moral or political authority “to offer the minimum guarantees it should have. this electoral debate”.

The candidate gave three arguments for not appearing at that meeting. The first was the amendment to the Electoral Guarantees Act, “which unfortunately was accepted by the Senate and House majorities.”

Secondly, the mathematician reproached that President Iván Duque took advantage of every open microphone he has to comment on the candidates' proposals “in an open and reckless participation in politics, without the prosecutor having deigned to remind him that the Constitution forbids him.”

Finally, Fajardo recalled that Margarita Cabello Blanco, the current Attorney General of the Nation, was Minister of Justice during the Duque administration before assuming her current position in the watchdog. “Therefore, it does not enjoy the independence that a watchdog should have. His silence has been eloquent,” said the candidate.

According to the agenda delivered by his communications team, Fajardo was also going to attend a meeting with representatives and members of the Liberal Party this Wednesday, which would take place at the YMCA Events Center in the late afternoon. Given the climate situation, Fajardo will not attend that meeting either.

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