(Photo: El Universal)
ElectionsNews

Clara Lopez officially declares support for Santos in Colombia’s presidential election battle

by Hannah Matthews

After having publicly declared her support for governmental presidential candidate Juan Manuel Santos, Clara Lopez promised today to devote her energy leading up to the second round of Colombia’s election to campaigning for peace.

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Thursday morning, the ex-candidate of the left-wing Polo Democratico met Juan Manuel Santos in the South of Bogota to publicly emphasize her commitment to peace and support for the dialogues in Havana, Caracol Radio reported.

“I am going to participate in an active way, traveling around the streets of Bogota and of Colombia bringing the message that it is necessary to end the conflict to advance in democracy. I will visit the Caribbean Nariño, Antioquia, el Valle and the 20 districts of Bogota’, she stated, ‘the vote in these elections is a vote for advancement. Only this vote will guarantee the peace that Colombia needs”.

Supporting Santos in his campaign, Lopez has declared that the country cannot afford to miss this opportunity to put an end to the war and fully supports the president’s proposal to abolish obligatory military service. In its place they plan to initiate a program of social service that according to Lopez, quoted in Colombia’s Semana news magazine, will be fundamental in the post-conflict environment.

Lopez’s support comes at a key moment in the lead up to the second round of elections. In the past few days Santos has received support from various political sectors including the Patriotic Union, a group of conservative members of the congress, a sector of the Green Alliance and the Marcha Patriotica.

Santos has assured Lopez that he will take her proposals and a series of proposed programs into account as she joins with him to campaign for peace.

Thursday afternoon Lopez was set to be at the side of the presidential candidate in a public act of support for the peace negotiations in Barranquilla.

Sources