In the middle of Halloween in Colombia, a political event maintains expectations: the Liberal Convention. One of the main topics addressed at the meeting, which takes place this October 31 in Cartagena, is the election of the next president of the community, in which it is expected that former president César Gaviria, maximum leader of the party for several years and who would continue to lead the line for a long time, will be ratified.
The convention has been framed in the midst of enormous controversy over the possibility that the community ends up in the hands of Petrism. For this reason, the liberal congressmen Juan Pablo Gallo and Juan Carlos Losada They debated at the request of . Gallo said that “it is very clear the intention of Petrism to steal the Liberal Party”, statement that unleashed a harsh exchange of statements with Losada, his community colleague.
According to Losada, saying that liberalism wants to allow itself to be consumed by Petrism is a “very low strategy.” In the same way, he said, what he demands is a change in the community, without said change implying surrender to Petrism. “There are people who did support the Government, people who voted against,” said Losada when proposing a collegiate leadership in the Liberals.
Watch the full debate here:
According to Losada, the Liberal Party “is in decline” and that is why it needs a change that, in his opinion, should be through a collegiate leadership “with new leadership.” Gallo said that “we have just heard from the older Petrista, also a thoroughbred, with a clear mission which is to hand over the party to Petrism.”
Losada responded angrily: “I am not a Petrist, I’m a real liberal. I have not knelt down to Petro for a single day of his mandate,” Losada asserted. “I did vote for Gustavo Petro in the second round, I could not support the candidate Hernández (Rodolfo Hernández). “I am a liberal who defends causes, he (Gallo) is an envoy of the Char.”
The liberal congressmen, being colleagues in the community, were accused of being supposed reasoners of both “the extreme right” and Petrism. “I let it not come like a seal, that it came to support the Government. You can’t tell me that I want to hand over the party to Petrism. There are centrist liberals here, like me. Independent, like me.”
Gallo said that “they have already stripped the copper” and the Liberal Party must go to the opposition, while Losada insisted on a “change” that does not necessarily imply surrendering to Petrism. “Let’s get your stuff into proportion. We congressmen who are promoting membership do not want to leave anyone out. We are ready to negotiate who should be the members of that association. This is negotiating, talking, not putting this on Petrists and anti-Petrists.”
Gallo responded by pointing out that Petrism does want to take over the Liberal Party “through Luis Fernando Velasco, through Christ. They are paving the way to 2026 to remain in power. To ensure that these results, which are perverse, continue. I predict victory, but they are going to try to unite to take the party to that extreme left that worries Colombians.”
The congressman assured that “it is possible to build a future” if the Liberal Party produces a candidate who is not related to Petrism. Regarding former Interior Minister Luis Fernando Velasco, Losada responded by saying that he does not have the strength to be president of the Liberal Party. “I think it is a marginal role that Dr. Velasco can play.” And regarding Juan Fernando Cristo, current Minister of the Interior of the Petro Government, Losada said that he is in the Government, but he resigned from the Liberal Party. “I will not vote for Gustavo Petro or his replacement, I will vote for a center project, but not for the right either. Our history has weight and cannot be lost because we want to hand the party over to the extreme right.” The controversy remains open while the Liberal Convention in Cartagena advances.
