A “harvest” of candidates has been given for the governorship of Antioquia and the mayoralty of Medellín in the regional elections next October. It is expected that in the coming weeks the process resulting from alliances and agreements will be decided.
In the case of the Conservative Party, he got up early to choose his candidate, because on May 4 the former president of the Senate, Juan Diego Gómez, announced that he had received the endorsement.
The idea that they have in the community is to participate in a block of right-wing sectors in what they have called the ‘Grand Coalition for Antioquia’, where they hope that Gómez will remain with the sole candidacy through a mechanism that is yet to be defined.
The ‘Grand Coalition for Antioquia’ arises as a response from the traditional sectors of the department’s politics in the face of the growth in recent years of alternative forces, as seen with the triumph of Daniel Quintero in the Medellín mayor’s office, and the most current phenomenon of the Historical Pact, which accompanied Gustavo Petro to win the presidential election, and which is the majority in the Senate and second in number of seats in the Chamber.
For the moment, for the gubernatorial election, the candidate of the Conservative Party has said yes to participate in the ‘Grand Coalition for Antioquia’; ex-governor Eugenio Prieto, who is collecting signatures for a citizen movement, however, has also spoken with the head of the Liberal Party, César Gaviria; Andrés Julián Rendón, who has the endorsement of the Democratic Center; and Mauricio Tobón, who is also collecting signatures for the ‘El Parche’ movement.
They have invited to join Luis Fernando Suárez, who was in the cabinet of the current administration, serving as Secretary of Government, and who in 2021 served as governor in charge because the incumbent, Aníbal Gaviria, was then deprived of liberty for several months for the investigation that is being carried out for alleged irregularities in hiring in his first term.
For now, Suárez is collecting signatures to sign up for the United for Antioquia movement. Yesterday he announced that “together with our volunteers we achieved an extraordinary result in this first phase: 250,000 signatures, the result of trust.” It is said that it would be the letter from Governor Gaviria for these elections.
Also listed as a candidate is former senator Julián Bedoya, of whom two weeks ago the Prosecutor’s Office asked the judge to preclude the investigation for alleged irregularities to obtain his title as a lawyer. In October of last year he resigned from the Liberal Party.
The other block of forces to the governorship is marked out by the quinterismo, related to the mayor of Medellín Daniel Quintero, who intends to unite the alternative sectors.
Everything indicates that quinterism would join forces with the Historical Pact, given the proximity of Mayor Quintero to President Petro.
The candidate of this sector would be Esteban Restrepo, who was his Secretary of Government.
The former representative Jorge Gómez Gallego and the psychologist Juan David Montoya are aspiring for the center. One of them would be supported by the Dignity and Commitment Party, led by former Governor Sergio Fajardo and former Senator Jorge Robledo.
While deputy Camilo Calle is the candidate of the Green Alliance Party, who also seeks the vote of the center and alternative.
Mayor of Medellin
The expectation continues for the decision that Luis Pérez and Federico Gutiérrez would take to aspire in October to the first position of the department or to the mayor’s office of Medellín.
In the case of Pérez, who was already governor of Antioquia and mayor of Medellín, he has been at the top of several polls that have been carried out for both positions.
What is being said is that Gutiérrez and Pérez, who were presidential candidates in 2022, would be playing a political chess game, as they would wait for who of them makes the first move by announcing the position for which they will aspire.
It is stated in the groups that in order not to lessen their chances of winning, these politicians want to avoid being in the same aspiration. In other words, if Gutiérrez seeks a new mandate in Medellín, Pérez would go for the governorship.
However, the elections are approaching and if, indeed, they are going to participate, it does not take longer for Pérez and Gutiérrez to announce their candidacy for governor or mayor of the departmental capital.
A few days ago, Gutiérrez said in an interview that “it is a very high possibility” to run for mayor of Medellín because he has already resolved “a percentage of many personal and professional issues.”
The other strong candidate that is looming is whoever supports Daniel Quintero. This is Juan Carlos Upegui, who will present himself for the Independent Party that accompanied the current Mayor in the October 2019 elections.
From there, it was held in the cabinet of Mayor Quintero, in front of the Secretariat of Nonviolence.
Another of the strong candidacies will be the one presented by the Democratic Center, a group that has deep roots in Antioquia due to its right-wing positions and the figure of former president Álvaro Uribe.
Councilor Alfredo Ramos appears as a pre-candidate in this community, who for this Party was the second vote in the 2019 elections, with 235,105 ballots in his favor.
In the Conservative Party, councilor Lucas Cañas was defined as their candidate for the first position in the city.
For signatures, former conservative senator Liliana Rendón, who is backed by the Lilianista Front movement, is aspiring.
Also collecting signatures is Councilor Albert Corredor, who was elected in 2019 by the list of the Democratic Center, but who in the Council has been close to the administration of Daniel Quintero.
Even in the political circles of Medellín it is affirmed that he could end up being supported in his aspiration by Quintero.
Another who aspires for a significant movement of citizens is Juan Camilo Restrepo, who was High Commissioner for Peace in the government of Iván Duque. He is presented by the Medellín Somos Todos collective.
Similarly, the former Medellín councilor for the Democratic Center Party, Paulina Aguinaga, aspires, who through the For Medellín movement, seeks to be the first woman to become mayor of this capital.
Likewise, the councilor of Medellín, Nataly Vélez, from the Democratic Center, aspires for signatures. One of her main flags is the defense of childhood.