A legal action filed by an observer could determine the political future of Juan Daniel Oviedo, current councilor of Bogotá, after questioning his eligibility for office based on an alleged inability linked to his contractual activity prior to the elections.
Luis Humberto Guidales García, member of the Electoral Transparency Oversight, filed the lawsuit. He stated that Oviedo signed a contract with the national entity National Guarantee Fund, which according to Law 136 of 1994 would disqualify the politician from being a candidate for Mayor of Bogotá and, therefore, from occupying the seat in the public corporation that grants him the Statute of the Opposition after obtaining second place in the votes with more than 600,000 votes.
The agreement in question is a lease of an office in the city center, executed on June 20, 2023, and which was extended until December of that same year for 106 million pesos. The lawsuit specifies that this agreement “evidence that Mr. Juan Daniel Oviedo Arango, in his candidacy for the Mayor of Santa Fe de Bogotá, period 2024 – 2027, incurred the disqualification contained in paragraph 3 of article 95 of Law 136 of 1994″.
After presenting it to the Council of State, it was sent to the Administrative Court of Cundinamarca, the body that will determine whether to admit it for study.
While Oviedo’s legal situation remains in limbo, the official went to the media to express his position regarding the controversial situation. In a statement for W Radio, he expressed: “I was on stage because the National Electoral Council made a decision about the movement and Juan Daniel Oviedo as a candidate for Mayor of Bogotá. Now, as if by opposition statute, those votes that went to the Con todo por Bogotá movement become a seat in the council. There is a possibility that citizens will demand this inability as a public servant, in this case, as a district councilor.”
Furthermore, regarding the possible admission of the lawsuit and the upcoming process, the councilor noted: “We are pending, we were notified of the distribution, but they have not yet notified us whether the lawsuit has been admitted or not. “We are going to follow the procedures clearly.”
This case reopens the debate on the interpretation of the disqualification rules for public office, evidencing the need to clarify the requirements and guarantee electoral transparency. The legality of Oviedo’s occupation of a seat on the Council is pending resolution, which could have consequences for both the politician and the institution itself and the opposition scheme in the Colombian capital.
The Administrative Court of Cundinamarca will be responsible for analyzing the merits of the judicial action and defining whether it is appropriate or not. An affirmative decision could have serious implications, not only leading to the nullity of Oviedo’s seat on the Council, but it could also influence future regulations and decisions related to the suitability of candidates for public office.
For the moment, Juan Daniel Oviedo is preparing to face the procedural stages with the desire to continue in the position of councilor awarded by the votes of Con todo por Bogotá, while the administration and citizens wait for a judicial resolution that will clarify the political panorama. from the city. His political future will be subject to the legal interpretation of the disqualification rules and their application in the context of his previous contractual activity. With Infobae