The granting of a government contract to an organization headed by a high-profile opponent of former President Alvaro Uribe has infuriated Uribe supporters in the coalition of the current president, Juan Manuel Santos, local media reported Tuesday.
Colombia’s Interior and Justice Minister German Vargas Lleras gave Colombian NGO Nuevo Arco Iris a contract to help identify potentially corrupt political candidates in the October elections.
The head of Nuevo Arco Iris, Leon Valencia, Monday announced he would sue Uribe for slander after years of bickering between the political analyst and the former President.
Following this, supporters of Uribe said that it is unfair for an opponent of the former President Alvaro Uribe to remain involved with the current government because of Valencia’s political bias.
According to chairman of Santos’ Partido de la U Juan Lozano and Conservative Party chairman Jose Dario Salazar, both staunch supporters of Uribe, Valencia should not have been awarded the contract because there is no guarantee Valencia will be imparcial in the candidate investigation process.
Following the controversy, Liberal Party chairman Rafael Pardo asked the government to explain the role of Nuevo Arco Iris in the investigation into allegedly criminal candidates.
According to Colombian intelligence agency DAS, some 400 candidates in October’s local elections have criminal records. Uribe has been touring Colombia to give “democratic workshops” leading up to the elections.