Controversy in Colombia over statements by the head of the Army against Petro, the favorite to win the elections

The incursion in the electoral campaign of the commander of the Army of ColombiaGeneral Eduardo Zapateiro, in attacking the left-wing candidate Gustavo Petrofavorite in the polls to win the Presidency, has created great indignation and at the same time positions in favor of the ruling party.

The last to come to the general’s defense Zapateirowho accused Petro of “doing politics with the death of our soldiers”, has been former president Álvaro Uribe, who assured that the “Armed Forces, the most extensive democratic and republican forces in Latin America, have every right to defend their honor against the political narrative that has been created against it, a narrative that ultimately harms the security and freedom of the citizen.”

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The last friday, Petrowho is currently a senator and was mayor of Bogotá, criticized Zapateiro a message lamenting the death of six soldiers in a paramilitary attack Gulf Clansaying that some Army generals were “on the payroll” of this group, dedicated above all to drug trafficking, and criticizing that “drug trafficking politicians” are promoted to high military command.

Then the general, the highest military command of the Army, told him directly: “Senator, do not use your investiture (parliamentary inviolability) to pretend to engage in politicking with the death of our soldiers, rather comply with your citizen duty of denouncing the facts you mention before the Prosecutor’s Office, “he told him on Twitter, where he also pointed out that” as a senator he is part of the group he dares to point out as “drug trafficking politicians”.

VIOLATION OF THE CONSTITUTION

These statements by a person who has already been criticized for having engaged in politics on other occasions and who was reminded that he publicly lamented the death of Jhon Jairo Velasquez, known as “Popeye”and who was one of Pablo Escobar’s great assassins, have been singled out for going against the Constitution.

“This thread of the Army commander criticizing a presidential candidate violates article 127 of the Constitution that prohibits public servants from intervening in electoral politics and, because it is military, it also violates article 219 that states that the Public Force is not deliberative. Very serious”DeJusticia researcher and university professor Rodrigo Uprimmy noted on Twitter.

The senator of the Democratic Pole (integrated into the Petro platform) Iván Cepeda asked him to “respect the Constitution”since as a military command “it is not deliberative and must be subordinated to civil power”.

He also came out in defense of Petro the center candidate Sergio Fajardo, who assured that Zapateiro’s words “are unacceptable.” “Not only was the participation in politics of government officials normalized, but the Armed Forces were politicized,” Fajardo alluded.

Petro himself said shortly after Zapateiro’s Twitter thread that he had not talked about the general and did not understand why he felt alluded to.

In a speech on Saturday before the square of his hometown, Ciénaga de Oro, he referred to the controversy again, assuring that in his “government there will be no disability; whoever reaches general, the one who reaches general will be for merit, not because a corrupt politician and drug trafficker decides the promotions in the military career.

OFFICIAL SUPPORT

However, the Colombian president came out in defense of the Army commander, Ivan Dukewho by law cannot speak on the campaign trail, but has already been accused of doing so on more than one occasion.

“Do not pretend to play politics by muddying the Military Forces”, he said during his speech at an economic congress, in a very brief reference.

Also the right-wing candidate Federico “Fico” Gutiérrez, whom the polls show as Petro’s opponent in a second round, decided to show his support for the Army general.

In another tweet he said: “I am impressed that a trill from a military man is more outrageous than the dozens of policemen and soldiers who have been murdered in the last week. The double standard of some political sectors of the country is impressive. They don’t even feel sorry anymore! I support our military forces.”

Source: Elcomercio

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