Bogotá, Colombia – Paloma Valencia, a former senator from Colombia’s Democratic Center (Centro Democrático) party, has been one of the most vocal opponents of President Gustavo Petro and a key figure of the country’s far-right.
A staunch ally of controversial former President Álvaro Uribe Vélez, Valencia is currently running in one of three primary elections on Sunday – known as inter-party consultations – that will decide a presidential candidate that parties will put forth for the first round of presidential elections on May 31.
Descending from a powerful family in Colombian politics, Valencia is the granddaughter of former President Guillermo León Valencia (1962 – 1966) on her father’s side, and granddaughter of University of the Andes (Universidad de los Andes) founder Mario Laserna on her mother’s side.
With a background in writing and communication, and having served as a columnist and political pundit for newspapers El Espectador and El País de Cali as well as Blu Radio, Valencia has built up one of the strongest social media followings amongst her Democratic Center colleagues and was a presidential pre-candidate for the party in 2018 and 2022, both times having bowed out of the race.
On Sunday, Valencia aspires to be the presidential nominee for “The Great Consultation for Colombia” primary and eventually be an alternative to far right-wing Abelardo de la Espriella’s Defenders of the Homeland movement in general elections on May 31.
Latin America Reports sat down with Valencia to talk about her candidacy, her “4Rs” security strategy, and being a female politician in Colombia’s patriarchal society. The following interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.
Latin America Reports: Based on your experience, is doing politics more complicated for women than for men?
Paloma Valencia: We women have to work twice as hard so that people can actually understand that we are doing our job.
Female leadership is normally interpreted as being “too bossy” and restricted to certain areas. For example, the fact that some say that we are the “weak sex” generates the impression that we won’t be able to impose authority and respond to security issues.
I truly believe that becoming the president would be the final step in the pursuit of equal rights for Colombian women.
It is essential to break these glass ceilings so that every Colombian girl knows that she can also be president and that we have the capabilities to lead in any field, without exception.
LAR: I wanted to ask you about Abelardo de la Espriella, who is also capturing the hearts of the right-wing. What would be your position if he wins the presidency?
Valencia: I am a woman of my word, and I will support anyone who is not Petro’s heir.
LAR: Let’s talk about your ‘4Rs’ security strategy. Why have you chosen this ‘Firm Hand’ approach as one of your primary campaign goals?
Valencia: Colombia cannot continue with a “mental illness” that says that impunity for the violent is the only path to peace, because that is false.
The truth is that all developed countries, in order to live peacefully, have done what they have to do: put the criminals in jail, not in Congress.
We need to reduce the income of illegal groups, strengthen the public forces, and rebuild all lost capabilities.
LAR: Following up on that proposal: what would be your position as Head of State in a hypothetical scenario where the lives of minors—who are often forcibly recruited by these criminal groups—are put at risk during military operations?
Valencia: I truly believe that the country needs more control over recruitment, which is not being done today.
You can find recruitment offers for these kids right on the internet platforms.
An alert system does not exist to ensure teachers can report when a child stops attending school, which is how we know they have been recruited in rural areas.
I even established this through a law that has not been implemented yet. In other words, we must fight for these children from the very beginning.
Now, I do not agree with the theory that if a guerrilla leader is with a minor, the State’s action must simply end.
LAR: Some local media outlets have reported that you were considering former President Álvaro Uribe as your vice-presidential running mate if you win the consultation. Is this true?
Valencia: I have that name and others, but I think that is a discussion that should be done as a team, should be done like a group, and based on achieving the greatest possible consensus.
I want to look for a formula that is a teammate for our political purposes and that gathers all of them, the ones who are part of this great team.
LAR: It is well known that you have a strong friendship with former President Uribe. What does he represent to you, and what does it mean to have his support?
Valencia: I am Uribista, and I will die Uribista. With him, I have had not only a great mentor but a great example. Those are the footsteps that I intend to follow.
I’ve been a woman who has stood by President Uribe in all the battles during the last 12 years and who has been an integral part of the creation of the Centro Democrático [Democratic Center].
I’ve been supporting it from its foundation and participating in the decisions that have constituted the very essence of the party.
They are different countries, different circumstances, different people. But every time I see that Álvaro Uribe’s government, which ended nearly 16 years ago, has people who still value it, still love it … I understand the scale of what he achieved.
LAR: Looking toward Sunday’s results, how do you feel? Do you see yourself as the winner?
Valencia: No, actually. I say that polls are snapshots of the moment, but politics is ever-changing.
This is like a soccer match: you don’t know how it’s going to end until it’s over.
LAR: How would you describe yourself, and why should people choose you?
Valencia: I have been the one who has stopped the most projects of Petros’ government, and I have also been the one who has negotiated the most projects with the current administration.
I am a woman of results who perfectly understands that in Colombia it is not only important to defend convictions, but also to be able to engage in conversations with those who think differently so that we can all fit in this country.
I am a woman who has worked in politics for more than a decade and with “clean hands.”
People identify me as a warrior for Colombia’s causes.
Featured image: Paloma Valencia with Álvaro Uribe Vélez
Image credit: Paloma Valencia via X
