Polo Democratico leader Gustavo Petro said via Twitter that the Green Party had rejected his proposal of an “agreement of cooperation” to support Green candidate Antanas Mockus in Colombia’s second round presidential election, and that his party will probably tell supporters to abstain from voting.
“The Green Party rejected the agreement,” Petro Tweeted.
“The Peñalosa sector opposed and spoiled the possibility of an agreement, I have to confess that this hurts me, Colombia,” the former presidential candidate continued.
“The Polo is set to make a decision, I believe that abstention is the road. Peñalosa’s ‘Uribism’ spoiled it for Mockus,” he commented, adding that the Polo Democratico will call a press conference to announce how they plan to proceed from this point on.
Former Bogota Mayor Enrique Peñalosa is one of the founders of the Colombian Green Party.
Both parties had agreed to examine a revised five point proposal made by Petro during a meeting with Mockus Thursday evening.
Following the meeting, comments by Mockus suggested that he was in favor of the agreement.
Mockus won 21.47% of the vote in Sunday’s first round presidential elections. Petro, with 9.16%, came fourth and is now out of the running. Because Partido de la U candidate Juan Manuel Santos won with 46.57% of the vote, the Green Party must form an alliance if it is to have any chance of winning the second round runoff against Santos on Sunday June 20.