According to El Tiempo, ex-president Uribe is experiencing difficulty in allying his party with Antioquian Conservatives against rivals in the upcoming election for the governor of Antioquia and the mayor of Medellin.
Uribe met Monday night with Conservative Antioquians to try to coordinate their efforts with his own Unity party to win the two offices that are now at risk of falling into the hands of their political rivals.
The Green and Liberal parties have successfully united and thrown their weight behind Sergio Fajardo for governor and Anibal Gaviria for mayor, both of whom are currently very far ahead in the polls.
Uribe is facing difficulty, as efforts by Antioquian Conservative and Unity parties to retain the governorship have been disrupted by fights between their members in the Senate and current Conservative Governor of Antiquoia Luis Alfredo Ramos.
At the heart of Uribe’s woes, however, is the unwillingess of both the Unity party and the Conservatives to unite behind a single candidate for governor. Most Conservatives back Conservative party candidate Alvaro Vasquez, while the Unity party candidate Carlos Mario Estrada enjoys support mainly from his own party.
Uribe’s effort to end this division was the principal aim of his meeting Monday night, but at the meeting’s conclusion both parties remained tied to different candidates.
