In the spotlight: Colombia's center-right tries to block a possible victory for the left in the presidential election
Federico Gutierrez of the center-right after winning his coalition's primaries in the legislative elections in Bogota, Colombia, on Sunday March 13, 2022. AP - Ivan Valencia
Text by: Stefanie Schüler Follow
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After left-wing candidate Gustavo Petro's resounding victory in last Sunday's primaries, center-right coalition candidate Federico Gutierrez on Monday called on other aspirants to join him in uniting against the poll favorite .
Federico Gutierrez, quoted this morning by
El Colombiano
, says he wants to defend democracy and freedom in Colombia.
Gustavo Petro's political program is, according to him, a populist and authoritarian project that must be prevented at all costs.
"
We will fight so that Colombia does not reproduce the failed projects from which many of our neighbors suffer today.
We will fight against these imposed models that aim to perpetuate poverty.
Those who dream with us of having a safer country, with more jobs, more education, more opportunities, are absolutely welcome in our project
,” said Federico Gutierrez.
And it is precisely the candidate of the right in power, Oscar Zuluaga, who announced Monday his rallying to the candidacy of Federico Gutierrez.
"
In just four years, the Democratic Center party has gone from being the protagonist of Colombian politics - with Ivan Duque as president and a majority in Congress - to that of an extra
," notes
El Espectador
.
"
And there is no strategy in sight to halt this decline
."
► To read also: Colombia: the left makes a historic breakthrough in the legislative elections
The son of a paramilitary elected to the Colombian Parliament on one of the seats reserved for victims of the armed conflict
During the legislative elections which were also held last Sunday, the election of Jorge Tovar has caused much ink to flow today.
He won one of the 16 seats reserved in parliament for victims of armed conflict.
Only here, "
Jorge Tovar is the son of a former paramilitary leader, alias Jorge 40, accused of massacres and forced displacement of the population
", recalls
Semana
.
“
Jorge Tovar campaigned in his father's former area of influence
,” points out
El Tiempo
.
“
It was through corruption that he won the seat in Parliament
“, accuses the National Movement of Victims of State Crimes in the columns of the newspaper.
Jorge Tovar, meanwhile, says he wants to commit to peace in Colombia.
Chile: New President Gabriel Boric pleads for regional effort on Venezuelan migration crisis
In Chile, the brand new left-wing president “
wants a regional solution to the Venezuelan migration crisis
”, we can read today in
El Pais
.
During a press conference on Monday in Santiago, Gabriel Boric “
proposed a system of migration quotas inspired by the model applied by the European Union to welcome Syrian refugees
”.
Six million Venezuelans have fled the serious economic and political crisis in their country, recalled the Chilean head of state.
This burden cannot fall on a single country or a group of countries.
On the contrary, we must show our Latin American solidarity, and all the countries of the region, Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and Bolivia too, have a role to play.
Besides, I am not the type to impose on another country what it must do, but we must discuss it multilaterally
”.
► To read also: Chile: the investiture of Gabriel Boric, a new hopeful president
Peru: Parliament initiates new impeachment proceedings against President Pedro Castillo
In Peru, the majority opposition in Parliament on Monday initiated a new impeachment procedure against the left-wing president, Pedro Castillo.
"
It's the second in just seven months
," recalls
Expreso
.
The opposition accuses the president of an alleged corruption affair and accuses him of "
treason
" because Pedro Castillo has said he is open to the idea of a referendum on whether or not to grant neighboring Bolivia a access to the Pacific Ocean.
The opposition is demanding the dismissal of the head of state for "
moral incapacity
", a reason already mentioned during the last attempt in this direction and which had failed.
Pedro Castillo will go to the unicameral parliament on Tuesday to respond to the accusations against him through a message to elected officials, announces the
Peru 21
site without being able to give details on the line of defense that the president intends to adopt.
The daily
El Comercio
believes in any case that "
the suspicions weighing on Pedro Castillo are heavy and deserve clarification: thus, the opposition accuses him of having tried to influence promotions in the ranks of the army or of having attributed the construction of a bridge outside of any legal framework, not to mention the appointment to ministerial posts of personalities accused of corruption or domestic violence.
These accusations are so serious that those who currently hold the reins of the country can no longer ignore them
", continues the editorialist, before concluding: "
Pedro Castillo must answer point by point and in a convincing way... if he still has the capacity
”.
► To read also: Peru: Pedro Castillo appoints his fourth government in six months
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