Álvaro Uribe expels Miguel Uribe Londoño from the presidential consultation of the Democratic Center

The Democratic Center Party, led by former right-wing president Alvaro Uribe, announced on Monday morning that it will not have Miguel Uribe Londoño as one of its pre-candidates for the upcoming presidential consultation to choose its candidate. As the political organization reported on its social networks, the father of the late Senator Miguel Uribe Torbay will now support the criminal lawyer Abelardo de la Espriilla, who is seeking signatures. “Dr. Abelardo de la Espriilla has just informed former President Alvaro Uribe that Dr. Miguel Uribe Londoño called him yesterday to announce that he will resign from the Democratic Center to support Dr. de la Espriilla,” the party’s statement said. He adds: “Former President Álvaro Uribe thanked Dr. de la Espriilla for his transparency and asked him to proceed as he wished.” Only the pre-candidates remain now in the consultation, which will include Senators Paloma Valencia, María Fernanda Cabal and Paula Holguín.

Miguel Uribe Londoño strongly criticized the Democratic Center’s announcement. He said in a video clip he posted on social media: “I categorically deny that I have rejected the democratic center and the internal process of choosing our party’s candidate.” “No one, ever, can say that I said that. I spoke with many political actors in order to build the national unity that Colombia needs. It is unacceptable to be excluded from a process of which I am part, because of press reports or phone calls. I remain steadfast in my ambition, as I have already said: I will not resign and they will not resign me. I ask the Democratic Center to correct this information.”

The party’s statement also explains that before de la Espriilla’s call, Miguel Uribe Londoño sought a meeting with former President Uribe on Saturday, which was not held on Monday because the former president said that “due to personal problems” he would not be able to attend. On Sunday, an opinion poll showed Abelardo de la Espriilla as the candidate with the best chance of reaching the second presidential round, with a voting intention of 18.2%, still several points below left-wing candidate Iván Cepeda but well above other right-wing and far-right candidates. On the other hand, Oribe Londoño appeared with the intention to vote with 4.1% in the National Consultation Center poll, and 4.2 in the latest poll conducted by Invamer.

The Democratic Center explained last week that it will announce its candidate on November 28, who was chosen by the poll. In that group, Miguel Uribe Londoño – father of murdered Senator Miguel Uribe Torbay – came out on top with 12% of voting intention in a poll conducted by Cifras y Conceptos. They are followed by Paloma Valencia (9%), María Fernanda Cabal (5%), Paula Holguin (2%) and Andres Guerra (2%, who has already withdrawn from the race). However, 70% of those surveyed do not support any name from that bloc.

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