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Hernández buys time not to abide by the decision that forces him to debate with Petro

2022-06-16T10:43:14.731Z


The candidate asks for a clarification of the ruling of a court that orders a face-to-face meeting this Thursday


Rodolfo Hernández said that he was not going to debate in public with Gustavo Petro and it seems that he is going to take it to its last consequences.

Even at the cost of breaking a court order.

The Superior Court of Bogotá ordered on Wednesday to hold a face-to-face meeting between the presidential candidates in the following 48 hours, understanding that it was a citizen's right.

Petro accepted at the time, but the construction businessman has requested a clarification of the ruling to delay compliance, which would already make the debate unfeasible for a matter of time.

Everything indicates that Colombians will go to the polls on Sunday without seeing them face to face.

The ruling orders both candidates to meet and discuss their government programs.

Hernández considers that this resolution undermines his freedom.

“Accepting compliance with this ruling without this essential clarification is something that I am not willing to accept, even at the cost of my own freedom, because simply and simply it would be to accept with impunity that the judges can decide on the autonomy of the will,” he argues in his defending.

Professor of Political Science Yann Basset counters that this matter has to be seen more from the point of view of public interest and democracy than the rights of the candidate.

"That he also has the right not to be if he doesn't want to," Basset writes.

Hernández went to the second round without being seen much in public.

He campaigned on TikTok and WhatsApp chains.

Petro got 8.5 million votes and Rodolfo almost 6. However, the day after the first vote, the former mayor of Bucaramanga was already leading the polls.

The antipetrismo united around a gentleman with little political history and whom they know rather little to prevent the coming to power of the leftist candidate.

As of that date, information about Hernández multiplied, who was a controversial mayor for his foul language in a soft-mannered country and for beating an opposition councilman.

Videos about some of his altercations began to run on the network.

His popularity went down, according to those daily polls.

Analysts agreed that the more it became known, the less the public liked it.

The easy-going Beccassino has lately appeared as an interpreter for Hernandez, who has greatly limited his presence.

The builder must be deduced these days by signs and gestures, like the Pope of Rome.

Beccassino gives interviews, the candidate does not.

The strategy is clear: hide him as much as possible to prevent him from committing any imprudence and trust everything to the fears that Petro arouses.

That happens because they don't debate in public.

Petro has a reputation as a good speaker and the lesson is so well known that it is difficult to beat in a face to face.

The meeting, a priori, would favor one who constantly appears in public to relax his image as a dogmatic politician and would harm another who wants to go unnoticed, one more contradiction in an unconventional campaign.

Except for a last minute surprise, the debate is not going to take place.

The court's decision was made known in the early hours of Wednesday.

"The presidential debates are in themselves considered a right of the candidate to present his ideas, but at the same time a duty towards the social conglomerate," says the ruling.

Petro picked up the glove on social networks: “It is the right of the people.

I'm ready for it."

His strategists immediately wrote to the public media system, RCTV, that they are prepared to do so.

The public entity responded back that they needed a joint communication first thing on Thursday morning in which both express their willingness to do so.

At noon they would fine-tune the technical details and at night it could be broadcasting to the entire country.

The court has ordered the presidential debate between candidates.

It is the right of the people.

I'm ready for it.

– Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) June 15, 2022

The problem is that Hernández does not finish taking the step.

He has made direct on his social networks in which he has again explained how he got rich - selling cheap financed houses to poor people - but has not said anything about it.

He has only issued that request for clarification that he made known last night.

Instead of discussing the government program, he has said that he will go to see an image of a Virgin.

He recently blasphemed on a TV show and some Catholic communities jumped on him.

They came to ask for his excommunication.

At the time he should meet Petro he will be chatting, in principle, with a wooden carving.

Petro was forceful with that elusive attitude: "Who is not prepared to debate is not prepared to be president."

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Source: elparis

All news articles on 2022-06-16

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