Some 1,500 Colombian left-wing social and political organizations came together in Bogota Saturday to found a new political party ideologically aligned with leftist governments elsewhere in South America.
The Patriotic March (PM), as the organization was dubbed, is supported by prominent leftist politicians like Piedad Cordoba and Ivan Cepeda and hopes to take part in the 2014 elections under the name of the National Patriotic Council (CPN) that will officially be founded Sunday.
On Monday, the newly-founded party hopes to organize a massive march in the Colombian capital to celebrate its birth.
Patriotic March spokesman Andres Gil told Spanish press agency Efe the organization was born from “the ancestral and historic struggles” that have taken place in Latin America.
According to Gil, the organization is ideologically aligned with leftist governments like that of Venezuela, Ecuador and Bolivia.
The ruling parties of these countries sent delegations to the Bogota meeting in support of the Patriotic March.
The commander of Colombia’s armed forces, General Alejandro Navas, expressed concern about the possible infiltration of guerrilla group FARC into the party. According to Navas, the organization was mentioned in seized emails between FARC commanders “Ivan Marquez” and “Mono Jojoy,” who was killed in 2010.
The PM spokesman rejected Navas’ statements and said the armed forces “want to corner the political development with unfounded accusations.”
Cepeda, whose father was murdered by retired army soldiers, asked the international community to “accompany the Patriotic March in the face of the past and persisting stigmatization of the social struggle” in Colombia.
The National Patriotic Council will join already existing leftist parties like the Polo Democratico and the Progressive Movement led by Bogota mayor Gustavo Petro.