Colombia: Gustavo Petro, favorite for the presidential elections, excuses himself for drinking alcohol before his speech

the leftist Gustavo Petrofavorite in the polls for the upcoming presidential election in Colombiahad to excuse himself this Tuesday for having ingested alcohol before a speech, given the avalanche of criticism and ridicule he received for that behavior.

Petro, a former guerrilla and candidate for the coalition of parties and movements called the Historical Pact, was addressing his supporters when he was caught on camera speaking under the influence of alcohol during an intervention Monday night in a public square in Girardot, a town about 140 kilometers from Bogota.

“It is true that with the fatigue of the trip to Europe (last week) and the time change, a drink that I had before Girardot’s act, in a previous meeting, did not sit well with me. I apologize to those who attended the event, which I wanted to carry out despite my tiredness,” the senator also apologized on his Twitter account.

The 61-year-old presidential candidate, who leads all the polls for the elections at the end of May, became a trend on social networks.

His adversaries did not let his carelessness go unnoticed. The bishop of the influential right-wing former president Álvaro Uribe (2002-2010) for the next elections, the conservative Óscar Iván Zuluaga, also expressed on Twitter: “Some politicians get drunk with power, others seem to have been… can you imagine what What would @PetroGustavo be in the Presidency?”

“Drunks are supposed to tell the truth. ‘Let the red flags rise again,’ says Gustavo Petro, intoxicated with power. Any doubt about what would happen in Colombia if he were to win?” Senator María Fernanda Cabal, of the ruling Democratic Center party, said on the social network.

Petro, who lost the ballot in the 2018 presidential election to current president Iván Duque, leads the voting intention in a country historically governed by the right.

The first round will be held on May 29. If no candidate gets more than 50% of the vote, there will be a second round on June 19.

Last week Petro made a tour of Europe that included a meeting with Pope Francis, who received him at the Vatican in a private audience.