“Alejandro Gaviria is an electoral threat and we are going to take care of dismantling that threat”, what was proposed as a campaign strategy by Roy Barreras, who denounces that the published videos are part of wiretapping the Pact. Petro and Gaviria himself responded as well.
Colombia News.
For many it is “politics and strategies must be created”, for others, “it is a dirty campaign”, before the first round videos of meetings of leaders close to the Historical Pact were released talking about destroying candidates like Sergio Fajardo, now, other videos are known whose protagonist is Roy Barreras, ‘planning’ the strategy against Fajardo, Alejandro Gaviria and ‘Fico’ Gutiérrez himself.
What Barreras proposed in the middle of the campaign was: “We have two things to do, either divide that center more and make Fajardo, who is also unreliable, divide the votes of that center (…), or go on the attack against Alejandro Gaviria” .
For many, this coincides with the way in which part of the campaign supporting Gustavo Petro’s candidacy has been handled.
What is explained on Twitter
As in many topics, conjectures begin, many launch threads with precise or imprecise data, with opinions or based on information published by experts or in the media.
This scandal is no exception.
Messages against the strongest ‘candidates’ before starting the campaign, then on target, Gaviria and Fajardo; the center was divided after the problems with Ingrid Betancourt, and in the end Fajardo arrived in the first round without reaching even a million votes.
Before that election on May 29, since those from the center were no longer strong in the polls, everything was directed towards Federico ‘Fico’ Gutiérrez, from criminal to the standard-bearer of Uribismo, they told him.
The private meeting of the campaign team.
Petro arrived there, but in the video he does not speak.
After the first round and the surprise of Rodolfo Hernández passing with almost 6 million votes, the batteries went towards him, who is not silent either and lashes out every day against his rival from Colombia Humana, but especially his political supporters such as Roy Barreras and Armando Benedetti.
? This Wednesday some videos were released in which Roy Barreras, Gustavo Petro’s campaign head of debate, is seen planning how to affect some of his political opponents for the benefit of his campaign ➡️ https://t.co/rn0FEebZDG pic.twitter.com/ZQQZMIDOzt
— THE TIME (@THETIEMPO) June 9, 2022
The forgiveness
As is his style, Alejandro Gaviria, who has been the center of controversy over the so-called ‘petroaudios’ of Roy Barreras, has responded discreetly to what is said about him.
The head of debate of the Historical Pact, Senator Barreras, in meetings -of one of them is the controversial video that circulates on networks-, said that Petro could not attack Gaviria “but I could.”
That was one of the strategies proposed in the middle of the electoral campaign.
For Gaviria, the political attacks now known as part of a strategy by the Pact to “end” its strongest rivals, is “an erosion of the worrying political debate.”
In a short statement that he issued a few hours ago on his networks, he does not point to anyone.
It does not directly state whether or not it will continue to support Petro.
“I reject political pettiness but I believe that one must make decisions, thinking above all about the future of democracy and the well-being of everything”, the same thing he said a few days ago when he decided that his vote will be for the leader of the Historical Pact.
Part of his messages on Twitter in these hours after knowing that video of Roy Barreras, in a meeting in which Petro was, have been about forgiveness.
The paradoxes of politics: the same ones who criticize the insults and attacks, and demand reactions, insult and attack without shame.
View comments.
– Alejandro Gaviria (@agaviriau) June 9, 2022
I announced my vote without negotiating anything, without prior meetings, without petitions, without photos. I did it out of conviction.
Many of those who are now scandalized by bad political manners, by attacks and pettiness, have been calling me a sellout for a week.
paradoxes
– Alejandro Gaviria (@agaviriau) June 9, 2022
Defenses and responses
Roy Barreras responds on his social networks that the videos are part of a hacking strategy against the Historical Pact, since these were private meetings and with Petro’s ‘trusted’ team.
He said that “Colombians were able to see and hear with transparency that there is not a single disqualification by the candidate”, this could support what he had said in the leaked meeting, “it cannot be Petro who attacks.”
“It is evident that the recordings and hacks are an act of illegal espionage and that they are a crime” and asked the media that have published them to suspend “theto the use of material resulting from a crime and their active participation in disseminating the result of this illegal espionage.
There is nothing to be ashamed of senator @GustavoBolivar . Do not fall in the trap. The campaign is a victim of ILLEGAL BREAKS AND INFILTRATIONS. It’s WATERGATE! Spy, record and filter private conversations! That’s a crime! We talk! They chuzan and delinquent! https://t.co/hSuMnXICfw
— Roy Barreras (@RoyBarreras) June 9, 2022
Faced with this situation, Alejandro Gaviria’s wife has defended her decision to support the Pact.
What Carolina says is totally true. Alexander’s (and her own) rectitude was never in doubt. Finding differences, contradictions, etc. with whom 10 months ago was a competitor was hardly normal. Neither in public nor in private do they find a single personal insult. https://t.co/aGluVMijXZ
— Roy Barreras (@RoyBarreras) June 9, 2022
Petro himself, who thanked Gaviria for his consideration, defended himself in networks.
Now they will be able to check if I say a single dirty word in my private meetings. They will be able to see the quality of the proposals of thousands of our militants. You will be able to see the strict order not to use cash. You will be able to see my attitudes, the most intimate in politics.
– Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) June 9, 2022
Several videos of political meetings have surfaced, which are also worrying the campaigns.
Be careful: Roy Barreras recommends that the candidate not talk about “complex” proposals again, nor that they generate division? pic.twitter.com/j2WmWuHsKk
— Vicky Davila (@VickyDavilaH) June 9, 2022
