Benedetti: “Sit down and chat with Pedro Uribe” | Colombia Presidential Election

Gustavo Pedro surrounds himself with pragmatic politicians His way to the presidency of Colombia. One of them, Senator Armando Benedetti, who has been with him since 2019, said he felt it was time for a left-wing president. No one has gotten much closer to him in recent years and not much has flown with him across the country. He may have understood what was behind this somewhat mysterious and hermetic man with the surname Pedro. Teasing and bitter, Benedetti holds a knife between his teeth, through which he reviews his opponents. If Pedro had to surround himself with operators confirming regional alliances and people going dialectical war, there would be few like Benedetti. He is making it difficult for him to join the government as he is being tried in the Supreme Court for the illicit enrichment process of declaring himself innocent, but he has other motives. At noon today, while cleaning his nails at his apartment in Bogot, he waits for a phone call from the president-elect to launch the government they intend to transform into a nation. Something as simple as moving a mountain.

Listen. Why is Pedro seeking a national agreement?

Answer. In the election we were 50-50. That is, we have a divided, divided country, and we are not going anywhere if we continue with those conflicts, wars and those polarities. That is the DNA that Pedro, who was elected president, has today in the sense of seeking a major national agreement.

B. Who are you going to invite to this conversation? It is unknown at this time what he will do after leaving the post.

R. Now we know which sectors do not like Pedro. In fact, before the election we met with businessmen, businessmen, financiers. With everyone. When we won, we told them we were going to create these kinds of breaks for peace of mind. We lay the first stones of the bridge, which are to be built. I think we should sit down with President Europe. DoRodolfo Hernandez? More welcome.

B. And Federico Gutierrez, The Defeated candidate Right?

R. This will be one of the first calls to acknowledge and converse. Not only with him, but with Rodolfo, with Fajardo (Central Leader), with consultations and all forces participating in the first round.

B. Are you planning to send any early signals to calm the markets?

R. I hope the signs given by President Pedro on Sunday are adequate. No one here is going to be kidnapped and the big businessmen will not be attacked. We must begin to create industry, to create real capitalism.

B. The name is going to make a name for itself soon, isn’t it? Economic equipment?

R. Jose Antonio Ocampo is going to do it. It is a different economic model, but without the destruction of capitalism, without communism, nowhere in the world. Not in China, Venezuela or Cuba, they continue to live with the Communists.

B. What role do economists play? Alexander Gaviria Or Rudolph Holmes?

R. These additions have been made for the purpose of this National Convention. They arrived late, but we always wanted to call them. Eventually, realizing that this was the way to go, the other, not liking Rodolfo Hernandez, formed an alliance. We want everyone to be heard.

B. Who do ministers speak for?

R. It belongs to him.

B. What will be your fee?

R. There will come a time when the dynamics of the campaign will go without the freedom to choose someone. Rather he is interested in helping that one. I will be where he said.

B. You coordinated Pedro’s campaign in the Caribbean. Can you run for mayor of Barranquilla next year?

R. In the Caribbean there was a difference of 1,100,000 votes with Rodolfo. At the same time in my department Atlantico we got 700,000 votes. A gigantic figure never seen even by local leaders. People want a change in the department and the mayor’s office, and they see me as a person because they see me with all the potential to defeat Sarah (Some local leaders) It was an idea that fascinated me, but I have not decided yet.

B. What do you think is the reason for Pedro’s success?

R. There is the first phase, which begins on September 10, in Barranquilla, when we begin to open a public square. Even in the times of networks, it has the most important meaning in the region. It is as if you hit the table. Many began to say that Pedro could win. It was built in November, December, January, February and March this year. We took out 20 senators and 31 delegates. We were able to hold 100 meetings from November to May, enormously.

B. Here comes the second phase.

R. In it we have to look for more people to listen to Petro, who are different from those who already supported him. Then comes a series of errors from other campaigns. Fell into the error of I hate the debate In that sense it is boomerang. And to say that the Virgin Mary is a prostitute in the Catholic country, when the video of the old man with Viagra came out … that is what went wrong.

B. After the first round they began to lose the poll.

R. We thought we were going to be 45%, which was a technical knockout. When we were 40%, we knew we still needed to find two or three million votes. It is necessary to go out and look for those who do not make a decision, it was achieved.

B. Do you feel that filtering Videos Did your private campaign conversations have any impact?

R. They are not leaks because we did not record the conversations. What forensics told us was that it was a plate on stage. I think people do not understand that it is the cry of politicians. Those ‘petro videos’ were not serious because Pedro did not speak disparagingly of anyone there. The funny thing is, Petro did not speak in the ‘PetroVideo’. They were wrongly baptized.

B. Police?

R. I could not tell who it was.

B. Is the government going to investigate?

R. Yes, what happened was very serious.

B. Last week the wind was in their favor because it was fair Ordered To hold a debate between the candidates.

R. It saves us. Nobody talks about ‘petrovideos’ again. The conversation turned to the fact that this man hates discussion as a child. And he hoped that everyone would eat the story he really wanted to do. Then he records a video in which he reads excuses for saying stupid things without knowing how to read well. This is the result.

B. Did they think that Pedro went to Bukaramanga to make it clear that it was Hernandez who was in ambush?

R. Yes, I always said you really should go. But Anthony (Gutiérrez-Rubi, Pedro’s main strategist) thought no, that person was already in the mud, and we were not going to mess with him. It would be good to show President Petro and start talking about the national agreement. The old man, Mr. Hernandez, that is, he thought he had won. His inexperience was noted.

B. Has Hernandez been behaving erratically in recent weeks?

R. From our standpoint, he is the letter that challenges Pedro to the debate, in which he covers absurd situations that do not even appear to anyone in the first half of a strategy. I think we would have succeeded without it. People wanted change. I recognize that there is another 50% that represents antipatrism, but Hernandez is not the owner of that vote. There is a breakdown in our democracy: if he had been president it would have been a weak government Strength in Congress.

B. What reforms do you think need to be made?

R. Agricultural reform in terms of land ownership and industrialization. We also need to get social justice. Energy change is important. In accordance with the peace treaty, not specified. And tax reform for those who have money, not for companies. Here the millionaire does not pay taxes when he has money, when he inherits, or when he takes it out.

B. You have The biggest bench, But they are far from getting a majority in Congress. How are the reforms going to be done?

R. We need 20 senators, 55 for a majority. 13 greens, and a tribe and some Christians go with us. We are already 40 years old there. And there are 11 more, including the Liberal Party, which has already expressed support. We add 3 or 4 of U, and another of radical change. I am confident of getting the majority. Pedro is very busy in the task of finding that majority. He is very involved in making reforms in the company. He did not think of dictatorship or anything like that.

B. How important that was International agenda Modulate Pedro image? Viewed With the President of SpainWith Pedro Sánchez, or Pope Francis.

R. This showed Petro was internationally accepted. Somehow we showed that we were not going to go into any kind of isolation. That was very important. Except for the time of Juan Manuel Santos, Colombia did not have much foreign policy. Here it is defined United States And almost always with Republicans. So it will not happen. It is clear that this is our main partner and that we are going to respect all the agreements, but we are going to try to drug the relationship. Not only do they go there and slander our country, they give us money.

B. You tried to impress candidate Fazardo from the center. Say what Empty ballot. How did you feel about being shouted at at your polling station?

R. Right-wingers know from the beginning whether this election is left or right. So they positioned themselves at the center, with a false morality. It is clear from Fajardo that he feels personal animosity towards Pedro, which is not a political issue. It’s not a program matter, everything Rodolfo said to join him is already in our plan. He was left as a fool, as the worst of all worlds.

B. How is your relationship with superiors? Pedro is close to Jaime Klinsky, one of the most important bankers.

R. They have economic and financial power. They call it the establishment. We contacted all of them at the beginning of the campaign and did not ask them for money. I have to say that there was a bridge at the event where we won here.

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