The Colombian Senate has elected Honorio Henríquez, candidate of former president Álvaro Uribe’s Democratic Center, as its president, after receiving the support of the leftist Historical Pact, the coalition of outgoing president Gustavo Petro, in a maneuver to sideline Alfredo Deluque, a candidate supported by president-elect Abelardo de la Espriella.
Henríquez became the new president of the Colombian Senate after receiving 56 votes, ahead of the 45 votes received by Deluque, from the Party of the U, a liberal formation whose candidate had the backing of the new president, who takes office on August 7.
In any case, the vote was marked by the unexpected support of the Historical Pact senators for the candidate linked to Uribism, a move framed in their opposition to the new president. “Let no one be mistaken. Our vote was against Abelardo, against fascism, and his abuses of power even against his own ‘allies’,” Petro’s formation stated in a message on social media.
In this regard, the leftist alliance stressed that it remains “at loggerheads” with Uribe and the Democratic Center. “We expect political stature and guarantees for the exercise of the opposition from the new president of the Senate,” it insisted, reiterating that the election represents a “defeat for the ‘tigrillo’,” in reference to De la Espriella’s nickname.
The designation of the Senate president has evidenced the first struggle between Colombian right-wing formations, given that the president-elect’s party has a minority representation in the Colombian Parliament and will have to rely on various right-wing formations to advance its agenda.
In this context, Uribe warned that if De la Espriella and his circle try to maneuver against his formation, the Democratic Center will “defend itself like bees.” “If the tiger roars to destroy the Democratic Center, we have to defend ourselves like bees,” he said last week amid the controversy over the appointment of the Senate leader.
