The Colombian government is using the tensions with Venezuela to increase its popularity in the lead up to the 2010 elections, Opposition Senator and ‘Colombians for Peace’ leader Piedad Cordoba said Wednesday.
According to Cordoba the government “needs” an atmosphere of conflict with Venezuela “in order to win the elections next year,” Terra reported Wednesday.
Cordoba thinks that the government is using the spat with Venezuela as “a smoke screen to cover the problems the country has, such as poverty and corruption”.
The Opposition Sentor said she believes there is a strategy in place “to decontextualize and disqualify Chavez and depict him as a monster”.
Tensions have been running high with Venezuela, since Chavez’s announcement last weekend that his country’s people and army should be prepared for war with Colombia.The Venezuelan President had also announced he was sending 15,000 troops to the border.
Chavez changed his tone Wednesday, claiming he had been misinterpreted.