Francia Márquez or Marelen Castillo: Who are the candidates for the vice presidency of Colombia?

Gustavo Petro Y Rodolfo Hernandez are the presidential candidates who achieved the highest number of votes on Sunday, May 29, in the first presidential round in Colombia. Both candidates chose women of African descent for their vice-presidential formulas: France Marquez and Marelen Castillo, a historical fact in the country. These are the profiles of the candidates for the vice presidency:

France Marquez

France Marquez She was born in 1982 and is from the municipality of Suárez Cauca, displaced by violence, Afro-descendant and defender of the environment. She was a presidential candidate for the Historical Pact and came in second place in the consultations on March 13. Gustavo Petro chose her to be her vice-presidential formula.

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For her fight against illegal mining in her department, in 2018 she was awarded the Goldman Prize, considered the ‘Nobel’ of the environment.

The Colombian presidential candidate for the Historic Pact coalition, Gustavo Petro and his running mate Francia Márquez, celebrate at the party’s headquarters, in Bogotá, on May 29, 2022. (Photo by YURI CORTEZ / AFP). (YURI CORTEZ/)

A year later, on May 4, 2019, he was the victim, along with other activists, of an attack perpetrated in Cauca that left two injured. The reason: his position in the last decade to confront illegal mining activity, extractive projects and river pollution.

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Márquez became an agricultural technician in the Seine. He finished his high school in Puerto Tejada and then entered the university to study law. When he was in the second semester he established a tutelage against the delivery of mining titles in Cauca, something that would cause the displacement of his community, according to what he said at the time. A year later, in 2010, he managed to get the Constitutional Court to order the suspension of said titles and thus prevented the eviction.

Because of this, Márquez received threats from paramilitary groups and finally had to leave his land.

In October 2019, the British media BBC revealed its list of the 100 most inspiring and influential women in the world for 2019, in which the Afro-Colombian leader, activist, defender of human rights in Colombia and winner of the Goldman Environmental Prize in April appeared. of 2018.

Thanks to the more than 8.5 million Colombian men and women who believe in Change for Life. Today we got a great victory and on June 19 we will make history.
Come on my Colombia we can, damn it! pic.twitter.com/Bv9I39CwWh

– Francia Márquez Mina (@FranciaMarquezM) May 30, 2022

Márquez has broken into the way of doing politics in Colombia. His speech, focused on historically excluded communities and regions; a feminist vision of politics; the dignity; justice and rights, has put in the public debate the racism, classism and machismo in Colombian politics.

In addition, his proposal for a redistribution of wealth, based on a vision of equality and equity for the population, opposes the individualism of today’s capitalist society.

The research professor at the Javeriana University, Patricia Muñoz Yi, explains that the visibility of leaderships that represent minorities such as the Afro-Colombian population; population underrepresented in popularly elected positions such as women or from the hardest-hit regions (due to the armed conflict) and with less institutional presence, it is a permanent need of any democracy.

“The candidacy of Francia Márquez has articulated these elements: woman, Afro-Colombian and social leader, who has sought to keep the highest levels of coherence in her positions and proposalsMunoz says.

marelen castle

Rodolfo Hernández said during the campaign that for his vice-presidential formula he wanted to elect a woman, under 50 years of age, who was not involved in politics and without “any electoral interest.” That is why he chose Marelen Castillo, academic vice-rector of the Minuto de Dios University in Bogotá.

How did you think of my gift, did you like it ????? @CastilloMarelen

???????????? https://t.co/uCgV34Kn7i#RodolfoHernandez #LaViceDeElInge #President #vice president #elections2022 #Colombia???????? pic.twitter.com/mwBkVzVKnq

— Ing Rodolfo Hernandez ????????! (@ingrodolfohdez) April 3, 2022

She has a doctorate in education and is a researcher in the areas of virtual and distance education, social sciences, educational sciences, engineering and technology. She currently appears as the director of Strategic Initiatives of the Minuto de Dios University Corporation.

In addition to being a teacher at Uniminuto, He has worked at the Lumen Gentium Catholic University Foundation, at Nova Southeastern University and the Minuto de Dios University Corporation, among other entities in the sector. According to her profile, she is a professional “expert in higher education curriculum design. She also provides her services as a contractor and academic peer for the Ministry of National Education of Colombia. She has been a consultant, adviser and guest speaker for different national and foreign universities on higher education issues in the virtual and distance modality”.

She is knowledgeable in the areas of social sciences and educational sciences, in addition to engineering and technology.

Source: Elcomercio