The Franco-Colombian Ingrid Betancourt, hostage for six years of the FARC guerrillas, announced on Saturday that she was going to leave a centrist coalition to present herself under the colors of her party in the presidential election scheduled for May 29 in Colombia.
Mme Betancourt, head of the small environmentalist party Vert Oxygène, has indicated that she will leave the coalition of centrist parties, the Coalition of Hope, citing “scheming” within this alliance.
“We are forced to move away from the Coalition of Hope, I will be an independent candidate for the presidency,” said Ms. Betancourt in a video posted on social media on Saturday, assuring that she would enter the race for the presidency. presidency with its Green Oxygen movement.
To represent the centrist coalition in the presidential election, the 60-year-old ex-hostage first had to win a primary, organized on March 13 to decide between the candidates of the coalition.
Colombians are “hostages of corruption”, said Ms.me Betancourt. “We call on all Colombians to build this path together to free ourselves from corruption,” she added.
Mme Betancourt had announced on January 18 his intention to compete in the presidential election, presenting himself as an alternative to the face-to-face, structuring in Colombia, between the right in power and the left, represented by the ex-mayor of Bogota and former guerrilla fighter Gustavo Petro, now the favorite in the polls.
Mme Betancourt was kidnapped in 2002 by the Marxist guerrillas of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) while campaigning for the presidency.
She was rescued in 2008 during a military operation and has since lived abroad, regularly staying in Colombia where she often takes part in public debate.