Through a video that circulated on social networks on Monday, October 23, the so-called Conquering Self-Defense Forces of the Sierra Nevada (ACSN) assured that in the regional elections four years ago they supported Carlos Caicedo to be governor of Magdalena, the same than Virna Johnson for the mayor of Santa Marta, who aspired to those positions through the Fuerza Ciudadana political movement.
According to the information published on the subject in the regional newspaper El Heraldo de Barranquilla, although the members of the illegal group accepted their responsibility in that case, they supported the aforementioned politicians, on this occasion they would not do so again due to the commitments they acquired with the National government, with those who have rapprochements regarding a peace and demobilization process.
“Among our commitments to the national government in search of peace are not to intervene in the regional elections, we reaffirm that the Conquering Self-Defense Forces of the Sierra Nevada do not support any candidate or exert pressure on the civilian population,” they assured.
In the same recording they maintained that they provided support to Caicedo and Johnson’s community in the last elections.
“The only political group that has constantly made public statements of pressure on the community is the Fuerza Ciudadana party, whom we supported in the last elections for the elections of the Governor and the Mayor of Santa Marta. On this occasion we will not do it,” they stated.
Meanwhile, on the Santa Marta news portal, Seguimiento.co, they recalled that Rafael Martínez, the current candidate to succeed Caicedo, for the aforementioned political movement, denounced the constraints on voters during the closing of the campaign last Sunday.
“In the Troncal they are seeking to pressure the free citizen, the citizen who wants change, who has supported us throughout these years and wants to support us again, but there they are telling them no,” they quoted from his statements, which would have provoked the reaction of the illegal armed group.
Nor would it be the first time that they claim to be close to the outgoing governor of the department, who is otherwise a supporter of the President of the Republic, Gustavo Francisco Petro. Three years ago, in the middle of the pandemic, the ACSN published another video in which they maintained that they had also supported Caicedo in 2011 for the mayor of Santa Marta.
They noted that on that occasion they established an alliance with which they supposedly guaranteed 10,000 votes among merchants and workers of tourism companies in that city in the Caribbean region, through threats such as the reduction of extortions that they imposed at that time.
Accidental campaign closure
Apart from the aforementioned statements by Rafael Martínez, the closing of Fuerza Ciudadana’s campaign last Sunday almost ended in a tragedy, after a vehicle suffered a spectacular accident in a car competition.
In a video that went viral on social networks, the precise moment was recorded when a double cabin truck that was participating in the joust overturned against one of the fences, after the driver apparently lost control of the car.
After the serious incident, one person was injured, although their state of health is unknown at the moment. Although according to preliminary information from witnesses, he was seen leaving the area under his own power from the vicinity of the Sierra Nevada stadium, where the joust took place.
Regarding this incident, some of the attendees maintained that the track that was adapted for the event was not safe and the vehicles could cross the fragile scaffolding that was installed, which was with political advertising from Fuerza Ciudadana. With Infobae
