“I will put myself in the front line in government”

The elected vice president of Colombia, Francia Márquez, participated this Saturday in a discussion at the National Auditorium of the Kirchner Cultural Center in which she spoke about her past as an activist and what happened until she became the Vice President of Colombia.

“I was throwing stone for a long time. Now two slingshots are going to govern and this will be a huge challenge. We recognize the expectations that not only Colombia but the region has of our government”, said the vice president-elect.

“We hope to do things in the best way, with a good heart so that dignity becomes a habit and to do it hand in hand with sister countries,” he added.

He also stressed the importance of justice in cases of aggression and abuse in the national strike.

“Thanks to all of them I am here. They put themselves in the front line in the strike and I am going to put myself in the front line in the government to defend them”, manifested.

In addition, he stressed that this is part of the challenges of the incoming government, “it is to think of a benefit for the people.”

He also said that during his election run “nothing was just marketing. We made a campaign very from the heart, from our own experiences, and our reality. That is why young people and women listened to us. That’s why the peasants listened to us. That is why my people, which although it was said to be divided into the black, Raizal and Palenquero people, overwhelmingly voted for Gustavo Petro and Francia Márquez.”

He assured that he is aware that “a country does not govern itself.” But he claims that both she and Gustavo Petro have the ability to lead a Nation project “that is thought from below”.

“The biggest challenge we have is achieving peace. Our main challenge is to silence the rifles in our country. But peace is not only the silencing of the rifles, but also attacking the causes that generated the violence and the armed conflict. And those causes have to do with hunger, with the lack of guarantee of rights, the abandonment of the State, racism. We have already said that we are going to resume the progress towards peace that implies the implementation of the agreements with the FARC, without delay. We will not continue to tear the peace to shreds,” he explained.

And he emphasized that the war “has to be shattered”, so the dialogue table with the ELN will be reestablished, which is accompanied by a policy of submission that will be developed with the other armed actors.

And he pointed out that Colombia will have to lead the way in the legalization of drugs, using several perspectives:

1. The change of use of the coca leaf and marijuana. “I believe that an entire economic industry can be generated there in terms of pharmaceuticals, food, the textile industry, which generates opportunities for the same communities that have been victims of drug trafficking and drug policy.”

2. A focus on problematic consumption, as a public health problem and not as one of criminality. “Understanding that the criminality approach has had a negative impact on the rights and freedoms of impoverished and racialized populations.”

3. Attention to the Colombian countryside. “That is why crime, drug trafficking, and illicit economies advanced. Having a human rights approach in these policies is a must. It cost many of those who raised their voices in this area their lives.”

At the end of the discussion, the elected vice president received a plaque in recognition of her struggle.

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