“Nunca fui petrista”: Alfredo Deluque, quien sería nuevo presidente del Senado, responde a Uribe

Senator Alfredo Deluque of the U Party, who is considered the frontrunner to become the next president of the Senate, responded to questions raised by former President Álvaro Uribe Vélez and sectors of the Democratic Center party that oppose his candidacy. The former president's objections are based on Deluque's alleged support for the "total peace" policy of outgoing Gustavo Petro's government, an accusation to which the congressman from La Guajira emphasized his independence. In an interview with Néstor Morales on Mañanas Blu, Deluque clarified his political stance, detailed the status of negotiations to form the leadership of the Congress that will be sworn in on July 20, and defended his close relationship of more than three decades with President-elect Abelardo de la Espriella. Deluque's Response to Álvaro Uribe's Accusations In response to criticism circulated on social media by former President Álvaro Uribe, who questioned Deluque's suitability to assume the presidency of the legislature due to an alleged lack of "extreme consistency" and closeness to the Petro movement, the senator from the U Party emphatically rejected these claims. "Well, no, I have never been a Petro supporter; I have been in the opposition," Deluque declared. The congressman explained that his initial support for certain initiatives did not equate to an endorsement of Gustavo Petro's government. "What happened is that I supported President Petro's total peace. Initially, there was a project where the government asked the First Committee of Congress to support an initiative to bring all the country's criminal gangs to the table and conduct a peace process with them. It's very different from what happened later and what that became. Initially, given that the government won with a large majority nationwide, what we did in the First Committee was simply give them the opportunity to implement their government plan," the senator explained. Likewise, Deluque categorically denied having received any bureaucratic or contractual benefits from the outgoing administration: "But that doesn't mean in any way that we were Petro supporters or that we benefited from Petro's government, not at all. Quite the opposite." The negotiations in Congress and the relationship with de la Espriella Alfredo Deluque's candidacy has the backing of President-elect Abelardo de la Espriella, with whom he maintains a long-standing personal relationship. The senator clarified that they have known each other for over 30 years, since their university days in Bogotá—Deluque studied at Universidad Externado, while de la Espriella studied at Universidad Sergio Arboleda. Regarding the progress of the political agreements for forming the leadership of the constitutional and legal committees, Deluque indicated that the process is proceeding through the normal channels of the delegates from each political group. Now radio is not only heard, it's also seen! At Blu, we put a face to opinion, debate, humor, sports, and entertainment. We put a face to radio! Follow our live broadcast. Live news from Colombia and the world, subscribe [FREE] to our YouTube channel: http://bit.ly/2CFF7Fo and find the latest news in Colombia, the world, and much more. BLU RADIO LIVE TODAY | #WePutAFaceToRadio Follow us on Google News: http://bit.ly/2lM3iLH Follow us on social media: Facebook:   / bluradiocolombia   Instagram: @BluRadio   / bluradio   Twitter: @BluRadioCo   / bluradioco   Today's latest news in Colombia: https://www.bluradio.com Our network of YouTube channels: Noticias Caracol Live: http://bit.ly/2Jhc3oO Subscribe Caracol Live: http://bit.ly/2CHpld2 Subscribe Gol Caracol: http://bit.ly/2yAIGcU Subscribe Shock: http://bit.ly/2CHNKzi Subscribe La Kalle Live: http://bit.ly/2JkgfEz Subscribe Caracol Play: http://bit.ly/2SkyjlM Subscribe El Espectador: http://bit.ly/2D4rkt7 Subscribe - - - - - - - - - - - - - Follow our programming, Blu Radio live: Blu Mornings with Néstor Morales LIVE Blu Mornings with Camila Zuluaga LIVE Blu Meridiano LIVE Sports Blog LIVE Voz Populi LIVE bluradio.com.co LIVE Blu Radio: 89.9 FM in Bogotá.