Presidential election in Colombia: Franco-Colombian Ingrid Betancourt gives up running
Ingrid Betancourt has given up her presidential candidacy and joined the candidacy of centrist Rodolfo Hernandez.
© AP - Ivan Valencia
Text by: RFI Follow
2 mins
The Franco-Colombian and ex-hostage Ingrid Betancourt announced Friday the withdrawal of her candidacy for the presidential election of May 29 in Colombia and her rallying to an independent candidate, Rodolfo Hernandez.
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"
Today I made the decision to support the only candidacy that can end the system
," Ingrid Betancourt said during a press conference in Baranquilla, in northern Colombia, alongside by Rodolfo Hernández.
The Franco-Colombian presented herself under the colors of her own environmentalist party, Vert Oxygen, carrying a feminist discourse and against corruption.
She wanted to be an alternative between the left-wing candidate, Gustavo Petro,
leading in the polls
with 41% of voting intentions, and the representative of a right-wing coalition, Frederico Gutierrez (27.1%).
However, his candidacy never took off, falling to 0.8% of voting intentions according to a latest poll by the Invamer institute published on Friday.
►Also read: Presidential election in Colombia: Petro promises that there will be no nationalization if he wins
"
I am here to finish what I started, with many of you, in 2002, and with the conviction that Colombia is finally ready to change course
", declared Ingrid Bentancourt while
launching - belatedly - in campaign in January
.
At the beginning of the campaign, she was part of a centrist coalition, Hope, which she finally broke with her thunderous statements against her partners, accusing them of being complacent with corruption.
She then decided to run in the colors of her own party, but there too was confused by her very strong attacks on other candidates, then her outstretched hand to the former president of the hard right, Alvaro Uribe, leader of the Democratic Center, party currently in power.
It is
under his presidency that she had been liberated
in 2008 from the hands of the FARC during a clandestine operation by the army.
Controversial political figure in Colombia
Very popular in France,
Ingrid Betancourt
, 60, remains a relatively controversial figure in Colombia, where she does not arouse much sympathy and where she is accused in particular of having tried to profit financially from her detention.
►
To read also
: Ingrid Betancourt denounces the troubled role of a politician in her release
She therefore withdraws in favor of Rodolofo Hernandez, given third position in the polls (20.9% of voting intentions).
He is a 77-year-old businessman and former mayor of the city of Bucaramanga, in the north, independent of the traditional parties, politically unclassifiable, but often accused of being a populist.
According to Ms. Betancourt, candidate Hernandez is “
the only one who can allow a second round to be held and defeat Petro and Gutierrez
”.
After this announcement, there are still six candidates in the presidential race, all men.
(with
AFP
)
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