SUAREZ, Colombia, June 16 (Reuters) – Former neighbors and colleagues in Colombia’s largely marginalized province of Cauca are hoping vice-presidential candidate Francia Marquez, a single mother and former housekeeper, will help areas plagued by violence and poverty if her ticket passes the Sunday election wins.
But it’s unclear how much freedom Marquez, 40, would have to fulfill her promises to improve women’s rights and help the poor access health and education if she and presidential candidate Gustavo Petro, a former left-wing guerrilla fighter and current senator , would be victorious.
The position of vice president is nebulous in Colombia — presidents are free to assign ministries or other specialties to their deputy — and Petro is known as a stubborn manager who, as mayor of Bogota, has repeatedly clashed with officials.
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Petro and Marquez are tied in polls with surprise rivals Rodolfo Hernandez and his vice presidential nominee Marelen Castillo, who have vowed to downsize the government.
University official Castillo, like Marquez, is Afro-Colombian. No matter who wins on Sunday, it will be the first time a black woman has served as Colombia’s vice president.
Marquez is a celebrated environmental activist whose opposition to gold mining in her home community of Suarez earned her the prestigious Goldman Environmental Award in 2018 — as well as death threats from illegal armed groups.
Marquez, who has never held elected office, is set to head a new equality ministry if she and Petro win.
If Petro refrains from plans to give Marquez a political role or micromanages her decisions, the two could clash in office, Gimena Sanchez-Garzoli, Andes director of the Washington Office on Latin America, a think tank, told Reuters.
“He’s always articulated what he thinks is most important, or his idea of what things should be before he really agrees with others,” Sanchez-Garzoli said, adding that Petro and Marquez “clash ‘ would if he turned them off .
Marquez, who finished second to Petro in her coalition’s primary in March by 783,000 votes, has significant support for her own merits, said Sanchez-Garzoli, who tallied more ballots than the centrist primary winner.
It could also be a crucial help for economic development, said Daniela Cuellar from FTI Consulting and mediated between often skeptical locals and large companies.
“This could help companies identify and address issues of common interest with communities,” Cuellar said.
A DAUGHTER OF SUAREZ
Residents of Suarez — adorned with colorful murals by Marquez — and neighboring Buenos Aires told Reuters their surprise shot at the vice presidency was a unique opportunity for marginalized regions like theirs.
Over 80% of people in Cauca — home to several armed groups, such as the FARC guerrilla dissidents opposed to a 2016 peace deal, illegal mining and coca production — live in some form of poverty.
Locals want her to strengthen land rights and address inequality.
“I’m very happy,” said Gonzalo Ararat, 79, a farmer who was displaced in his youth by violence in Colombia’s armed conflict and has known Marquez for more than 20 years.
Ararat proudly displayed a 2010 magazine with a column written by Marquez detailing her plans to go to law school to protect her community from threats to her country, which he taped together with her recent campaign materials.
Local councilor Sandra Patricia Ibarra, 47, told Reuters she likes Marquez because, despite killing dozens of environmentalists every year in Colombia, she has risked her life to defend her homeland. Continue reading
“Francia is a daughter of Suarez,” said Ibarra.
If she wins, Marquez is expected to help implement a recent Supreme Court ruling decriminalizing abortion, with a particular focus on access to the process for Indigenous, Afro-Colombian and rural women. Continue reading
“Being a woman in Colombia is not the same (…) whether you are indigenous or Afro,” said Ana Cristina Gonzalez of Causa Justa, a coalition of more than 90 pro-choice groups.
Afro-Colombian activists from Buenos Aires, former colleagues of Marquez, said her plans to support poor areas and defend Afro-Colombian rights met many obstacles.
But her presence in the halls of power would mean a profound change.
“Our country has not been properly cared for by the Colombian state, by Colombian governments because it seems they only care about plundering the resources that it possesses,” said Clemencia Carabali, 51, a member of the Afro-Colombian women’s group ASOM.
Carabali – flanked by state bodyguards who were provided after receiving death threats for her activism – described Marquez, a friend of 25, as a sister.
“As a woman, I am very proud of the work she has done.”
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Reporting by Oliver Griffin Additional reporting by Julia Symmes Cobb and Luis Jaime Acosta Editing by Alistair Bell
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