Colombia Conservative Party presidential candidate Noemi Sanin on Monday criticized Partido de la U’s Juan Manuel Santos for using a President Alvaro Uribe “sound-alike” in his campaign advertisement voice-overs in a bid to win greater voter support.
“This campaign is using false advertising to win voters … The country needs to be told, so that they are not tricked,” Sanin said.
Sanin’s criticisms follow a revamp of Santos’ campaign strategy last week, with controversial Venezuelan spin doctor J.J. Rendon at the helm.
Santos reshuffled his campaign team after the “green wave” hit Colombia, with Green Party candidate Antanas Mockus surging ahead in voter polls. Santos admitted his campaign had neglected to use the Internet as a tool to canvass votes, which may have been responsible for his fall in popularity.
Since Santos’ campaign relaunch, Mockus’ rise in the polls appears to have ceased, with the latest voter poll placing the Partido de la U candidate back in the lead.
This year’s race for the presidency has been characterized by smear campaigns and other dirty tactics.
Uribe, who is not permitted to back any candidate in particular, is thought to unofficially support his former Defense Minister Santos, and expressed concern that Mockus might not be able to maintain Uribe’s much-lauded hardline “democratic security” policies.
Following Uribe’s comments, independent electoral observers sent a letter to the president, warning him not to attempt to influence the upcoming presidential election results.