Bogota mayoral candidate Antanas Mockus unveiled his new political campaign for his third term as mayor on Monday, complete with a city-wide tour in the “Mockusmobile.”
Colombian media reported that Mockus will travel the capital city in a white bus, dubbed the Mockusmobile, meeting with potential constituents to explain his political strategies.
The Independent Social Alliance Party (ASI) candidate was joined on stage by voters as he announced that transportation and fighting corruption will be the focal points of his campaign.
The former mayor announced that he will impose a tax on car owners to help improve the capital’s roads and to invest in the expansion of the Transmilenio, the city’s controversial public bus system. Mockus reassured Bogotanos via Twitter that the tax increase would not begin immediately.
“I will not raise taxes in the first two years of my mayorship, first we must regain the confidence of the citizens in the management of the government,” tweeted Mockus.
“The money is there, Bogota has a budget of more than $9.5 billion, but lacks the rationalization to use it, it lacks planning,” explained the former mayor.
Mockus reiterated that through transparency and integrity he will fight corruption, distrust, and pessimism in Bogota.
“The city is at the bottom of an abyss,” said Mockus. He added that the streets of Bogota “are dangerous, we are afraid of neighbors, corruption and chaos reign, and in exchange for that, there are no opportunities to progress.”