Rodrigo Lara, one of the candidates for mayor of Bogotá who is seeking to conquer the Liévano Palace through the citizen movement Liderazgo Amplíó de Renovación Avanzada (LARA), for which he is collecting signatures, was clear from the beginning when he warned that, launch, I would do it as an independent.
“What I am clear about and what we have defined with the social and civic sectors that have invited me to launch a candidacy, is that it will be a totally independent process from the traditional political parties,” he told Infobae Colombia in an interview. last March 2, but he did not explain why either.
This was a move that drew the attention of various sectors, since its political house, that of Cambio Radical, has been central to the national political landscape and is a group with weight and relevance.
This was a party that was part of the government coalition of Álvaro Uribe Vélez until 2009, later it would be part of the government coalition of former president Juan Manuel Santos and its natural leader, former vice president Germán Vargas Lleras, is making fierce opposition to the government of Gustavo Petro.
However, the reason was resolved by the candidate on Tuesday, May 9, who took the opportunity to send taunts to various Cambio Radical militants, such as the former mayor of Bogotá Enrique Peñalosa and also referred to other heavyweights in capital politics such as the former candidate to the Mayor of Bogotá Carlos Fernando Galán, who in total secrecy has not yet publicized his intentions regarding the October elections, but Lara insists, is seeking the support of the traditional parties.
“The broad path or the narrow path. The broad path is the easy path, the path of the comfortable, the path of comfort. The path to comfort is to look for one of those political parties that is already established, to look for one of those hardened and crafty politicians, connected to four or five rich people, and tell them: “I want to be a candidate, will it be that you sponsor me? ” And the already crafty and seasoned politician with five rich friends says: “yes, but with those conditions.” Lower your head and you submit”, the candidate Lara began by expressing on Tuesday, May 9, referring to Enrique Peñalosa.
Immediately afterwards, he referred to his campaign opponents, of whom he said that “this is the path that some candidates who call themselves independent are looking for; That is the path that Carlos Fernando Galán is seeking with the traditional parties and it is a wide path. It is comfortable but there is a risk: getting lost. That way you get lost, you don’t know what you represent, what you mean or where you’re going”, added the candidate Lara.
parties are prisons
And later he referred to the path he is traveling: the strait. This path, explained the candidate, is a more arduous path, but the politicians who travel it know where they are going. You just have to have strength, faith and courage to go through it, and he specified that this is the path he decided to take and that he is going through his campaign with the collection of signatures.
“It’s a really independent path. I have already freed myself from the partisan prisons that I entered once. The parties in Colombia are prisons and the director of a party is like the director of La Modelo prison with congressmen, councilors and deputies locked up and no one can get out. That’s what they live on: keeping people locked up and living off the income that a game produces for them, ”he added.
And he concluded that “I was able to get out and I will never be a prisoner again, I will never again give up my political freedom as I had it subjected, or delivered, or locked up in a political party. The easy and cowardly thing is to go and look for someone to decide for you. I can’t because my spirit is too rebellious for that”, concluded the candidate Lara, who was, for a period of time, president of Cambio Radical. with Infobae