Despite the miles that exist of differences between the Democratic Center and the Historical Pact, the Uribismo political party will attend the presidential inauguration of Gustavo Petro on August 7.
The decision was made by former President Álvaro Uribe and made public through his social networks. “Today I phoned President-elect Gustavo Petro, I kindly thanked him for the invitation to his inauguration, I excused myself from attending because I have had a prisoner complex for two years. I will not attend due to the modesty derived from my legal situation, which I long to overcome (…) The colleagues of the Democratic Center will attend the inauguration, a symbol of our democracy,” the former president announced.
By instruction of the Democratic Center, the entire bench of the Senate and the House is summoned to the full Congress that will meet at three in the afternoon on Sunday and from there they will go as a group to the act of inauguration of the first president of the left in Colombia.
This scene did not occur during the inauguration of Juan Manuel Santos, in the second presidential round, when the congressmen from the Democratic Center entered the session and left so as not to witness the Nobel Prize speech, whom they always called a “traitor.”
This was precisely one of the reasons why Álvaro Uribe has reacted with a more conciliatory tone with Gustavo Petro than with Juan Manuel Santos, who was his defense minister. The former president recognizes the former as an open and confrontational opponent. To the second, a politician who was elected with his banners, but ended up going down a different path than his presidential campaign.
The possession of Petro will be uncomfortable for some senators such as María Fernanda Cabal, Paloma Valencia and other Uribe congressmen who have been vehement in their criticism of the incoming administration. However, they will be in the show for a reasonable time as a gesture of democratic opposition and respect for the new government. Afterwards, each one will determine if they will continue on stage.
Until this Thursday night, the version that pointed out that Senator María Fernanda Cabal had left the country for the United States over the weekend gained strength.
Senators Cabal, Paloma Valencia and Paola Holguín, were appointed by the Democratic Center to respond to Petro and will be in charge of structuring the opposition speech.
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This Saturday, at nine in the morning, the uribismo bench will meet in Bogotá to make decisions regarding the response they will give to Petro. The first thing they will fix is that the answer will be delivered on Monday, possibly at seven at night, during prime time on national television.
The objective is to listen carefully to Petro’s statement on Sunday afternoon and to decant his words and each of the projects to respond to him. Cabal, Valencia and Holguín, in charge of the response, They will write the text that is expected to be known by former President Álvaro Uribe before making it known.
SEMANA learned that the delivery of the speech will have to be arranged between the Democratic Center, former presidential candidate Rodolfo Hernández, his vice-presidential formula, Marelen Castillo, and congressman Miguel Polo Polo.
In fact, the right-wing influencer told this medium that he would like to be part of the politicians who will read the response to the left-wing president.