The leadership of the Colorado Party It is once again an element of dispute within the party, even after Andres Ojeda was imposed in the internal elections and, for a few weeks – for some, with more sacrifice than others – it began to be accepted that the renewal of the political space after the departure of Julio Maria Sanguinetti would be given on that side. However, the return of Pedro Bordaberry on the political scene, far from consolidating the presidential candidate’s leadership, has stirred the waters as traditional sectors line up behind him.
Ojeda’s victory in the primaries seemed to have determined the political course of the Colorado Party that, after months of official headlessness, the young lawyer and presidential candidate was on track to be the next leader. Of course, this was not viewed favorably by some sectors who, even before the night of June 30th —and with all the previous polls of voting intentions giving him as the winner of the sole candidacy—, were considering the possibility of choosing another name for the ticket.
Ultimately this did not happen and the election result was respected; and the party was beginning to fall in line behind Ojeda when Bordaberry made the big announcement: he was returning to politics with a list of candidates. Senate and a previous conversation with Gabriel Gurméndez —leader of List 15 who had already added his support to the presidential candidate— and Tabare Viera to head their parliamentary lists under the sub-lemma “Let’s go Uruguay.”
The first conclusion and expectation of the official reappearance of Bordaberry, who last year had registered his sector in the Colorado Party, was that his figure consolidated the Ojeda’s leadershipwith increasingly more “institutional” support, and thus boosting the Colorado electoral performance, even to the point of reaching a runoff. However, as the days went by there was a change of plans.
Meetings towards a new leadership
The truth is that, since the announcement of his return, Bordaberry’s agenda has been unusually busy, and meetings and conversations with other political leaders – not only from the Colorado Party— have required a lot of his time. In that sense, the leader of Let’s go Uruguay He conveyed to all his interlocutors that he was willing to accept them, while defining that, finally, he will go to the elections leading the List 10 as a single list.
While this does not mean that the various Colorado sectors have withdrawn their support for Ojeda as a presidential candidate, it does weaken the relationship of continuity inherent between his victory in the primaries and his path to the leadership of the party, vacant since Sanguinetti’s resignation. Especially if one considers that Bordaberry already has the support of Gurméndez and the List 15 —which will be made official this Tuesday, together with the support of a group of leaders of Citizens that they would leave Grow, the “umbrella” created by Robert Silva in the primaries, including ministers Robert Bouvier (Environment) and Fernando Mattos (MGAP)—; and that the main representatives of the Batllists like Viera, German Coutinho and Walter Verri.
Thus, the list of names grows among those who see Bordaberry as a more suitable leader for the Colorado Party Ojeda, who presents himself as a disruptor in many ways. On the other hand, there is Unir para crecer, the space that symbolizes the union between the members of the presidential formula, and is already observing what is happening on the “opposite side” with concern.
In this sense, his meeting with the presidential candidate of Alvaro Delgado National Party and his intention to also meet with the presidential candidate of the Broad Front, Yamandú Orsido not go unnoticed: for the candidates – especially for the one from the governing coalition – a traditional Colorado figure would be much more comfortable than Ojeda in the famous Uruguayan institutionality.
Source: Ambito
