Since the election on Sunday night Federico Fico Gutierrez , the Colombian presidential candidate has been the most ferocious. This is not his first appearance on an electoral card. He was previously a councilor and mayor of Medellin. The first time he was tested during a national election which saw him receive more than 2 millions votes in the Team for Colombia coalition, was that he was deemed the preferred candidate of conservative groups. Fico (Medellin 47 years old), as he is popularly known, is, since last night and at the moment, the main opposition to Gustavo Petro, who with the Historic Pact movement was one of the main winners on the day of the election that established who would become the representatives of the three main political parties.

The presidential campaign is just starting. If the former mayor of Medellin will be a true opposition to petrismo is contingent on the alliances and agreements that he will make in the coming days. He will not only need to unify all right-wing voters under his banner, but will also need to win over a portion of the centrist electorate that has been, as of Sunday, broken and lacking in leadership. To accomplish this, he has to continue to avoid, just like he has done with AlvaroUribe, in the same image. For https://www.elespectador.com/politica/elecciones-colombia-2022/osca... in 20 years, open support for uribism is now possible rather than subtract. "Federico Gutierrez faces a dilemma. He is required to make an alliance, on Uribe's side along with the Democratic Center. However, Gutierrez must convince Uribe, the center that must decide on its course," Yann basset, analyst at the University of Rosario.

Fico that is in coalition with the CD in which uribism is a major issue, has achieved its first victory on the way to an alliance. Oscar Ivan Zuluaga the former presidential candidate, decided to retire, acknowledged his few options of competing with him and offered his support. We now need to see if the entire Uribismo collective who is without a representative, will do the same. Uribe is likely to openly support his candidate and persuade his voters by presenting the classic issues that make up the Colombian left. This shouldn't be an issue for Uribe. The speech he delivered of "security" and 'order opportunities' and 'love for the country' have already demonstrated that Uribe is able to add votes. This was confirmed on Sunday by participating in the election consultation, as he did before when he worked in the mayor's office of the capital city of Antioquia, where he was popularly known as the sheriff of Medellin. He claimed, "The bandits were either in jail or in grave," while he was traveling to Arauca, a region which is particularly susceptible to violence. Fico is aware of the Colombian right's preferred positions, but that will not suffice for him.

Basset claims that we're not in 2018 when the fear of a Left has worked as well. "This time the voters do not feel scared." Basset points out that Fico might not get Uribe's approval due to the fact that Alvaro Uribe no longer holds the title of absolute leader since 2002, when the nation elected him president. The vote of Uribismo are still important to Gutierrez. Uribism was also a key factor in this victory (winning in the coalition). Basset warns that his ability to negotiate will now be measured. He will have to convince the right, but not entirely on this alliance. Andres Mejia Vergnaud, an analyst, comments on the relationship between Fico and former president. "The biggest problem for Federico Gutierrez, however, is that he wants Uribismo's support, but without Uribe's photo because it doesn’t suit him to be his presidential nominee."

On the left there is only one candidate, Gustavo Petro, on the right there is still an individual who is heading towards the presidential elections in the event that Fico - - again, in the event that he is able to negotiate - convinces him to withdraw and support him. Rodolfo Hernandez remains in the race despite having launched his campaign independently. Gutierrez will need to include the former Bucaramanga mayor, millionaire and builder in his list of accomplishments should he wish to end petrismo.

Gutierrez has plenty of work to do before he is even considering names for the presidential formula. What Gutierrez already has is the support of other candidates running for the leadership of the Team for Colombia alliance. This isn't a small sum. There are two former mayors Enrique Penalosa (Bogota), Alex Char (Barranquilla) as his companions; David Barguil (leader of the Conservative Party); and Aydee Zarazo (a Christian party member who votes according to church orders.

The Conservative Party has been strengthened by receiving the biggest vote from right-wing forces with more than two million votes. Furthermore, the U Party has shown sympathy for the Conservative Party. They also had an outstanding election, with less than 1 million votes, in the legislative. Oscar Ivan Zuluaga's support who refused to let the election of Sunday be lost in order to accept his loss before a possible confrontation for votes of the right, gives Fico the boost he needs in a section of conservatism but it also keeps him away from potential votes from the middle. According to https://www.facebook.com/FicoGutierrez , former president, Fico will have to decide if he's willing to risk his chances at the center in order to enjoy the privilege of being the fortunate recipient of Uribe's blessings.