Colombia’s former vice president, Francisco Santos, returned to the forefront of Alvaro Uribe’s senate campaign on Wednesday, only to undermine the former head of state’s presidential candidate’s chances the next morning.
At a rally in Bogota, Santos — a cousin current President Juan Manuel Santos — told his former superior that “here is your soldier to take up battle, President Uribe. I will be and always am your most loyal soldier to return dignity to Colombia.”
Santos had not been seen close to the Uribe campaign after losing the primaries of Uribe’s Democratic Center party to former Finance Minister Oscar Ivan Zuluaga. Just after his loss, Santos implied the party election might have been rigged.
MORE: Oscar Ivan Zuluaga to represent Uribe in Colombia’s 2014 elections
The former VP met with the leadership of the Center Democratico party after which he announced to assist the party in becoming the “leading force” of Colombia and “the main opposition.”
“You and I are a team that will never ever part. We are a team that wants to serve Colombia. We saved Colombia during our eight years. We have one month left to convert each one of us into a soldier so that on March 9 the people ‘I want Alvaro Uribe, and not [FARC leader] Timochenko in Congress,” Santos said.
However, the next morning Santos told W Radio that “the most viable candidate” to beat the president’s bid for reelection would not be Zuluaga, but Conservative Party candidate Marta Lucia Ramirez, another member of Bogota’s political elite who got predictably elected presidential candidate last month.
According to the former VP, the political landscape changed after Ramirez’ election.
MORE: Conservatives eschew Santos, select 2014 presidential candidate
Ramirez has just started campaigning and according to the latest poll is favored by 7% of voters, the same as Zuluaga.
Sources
- Marta Lucía Ramírez es la candidata más viable para derrotar al presidente: Pacho Santos (W Radio)
- Francisco Santos regresa al Centro Democrático (Caracol Radio)
- Aquí está su soldado para dar la batalla expresidente Uribe: Pacho Santos (Caracol Radio)
- Declaraciones de Pacho Santos generan división y molestia en el uribismo (Caracol Radio)