'My decision is to be the first female president of Colombia': Paloma Valencia

Senator Paloma Valencia officially launched her campaign to be the Democratic Center's presidential candidate. In an interview with EL TIEMPO, she spoke of her aspirations, denied reports that she would become the top candidate on the Uribe-led Senate ticket, and insisted that her goal is to become Colombia's first female president.

We're running for president, and I want to be Colombia's first female president. What former President Álvaro Uribe very generously said was that, if I didn't become the party's candidate, he would like me to be the top candidate because he believes I'm the best in Colombia. He expressed this on social media. He didn't offer me the top candidate, but rather Miguel Uribe Londoño.

Miguel Uribe Turbay was assassinated, and this generated an enormous sense of solidarity in the country for him and his family, given the circumstances Colombia is experiencing. He became a symbol of the return of violence to Colombia. Miguel is the first politician of our generation to be assassinated, which means our children will live with the same anxiety we grew up with: bombs, kidnappings of soldiers and police officers, citizens and politicians. We must unite in this rejection of this violence and resist it.

Miguel Uribe Londoño asked to be included among the candidates, and it was his decision, and we respect that. We don't feel left out because he wanted to be included. I don't think Dr. Cabal feels that way. We're a party in which women have had enough space.

I am convinced that we will only run with one candidate in a very broad coalition to achieve a good government. All those who do not end up as candidates should be part of the next government because we need an extraordinary government. The goal should not just be to win the elections, but to build a government that transforms the realities of Colombia and addresses the pain of the Colombian people.

These are the decisions each person makes in their political project and what they want to do. Here, no one is forced to continue in the presidential race if they want to have a chance in Congress.

My decision is to be the first female president of Colombia.

It's in the country's interest that candidates campaign in every corner of Colombia. We're building a narrative. It's not just about winning the election; it's about having good governance, and that can only be achieved through close contact with the citizens, with all Colombians.

Colombia's problem isn't language. The problem is that there are those who commit violence and murder those involved in politics. I am convinced that we all belong in this country, but there should be no room for those who carry guns and murder Colombians. Nor should there be room for those who steal public sector funds. What we need here is an agreement to understand that we are all on board Colombia, and we need to include all those who are willing to play by democratic means, to reject violence, and to have no ties to violent individuals.

Security is not a national project; it's a prerequisite for any project. Without security, no national project is worthwhile, because everything fails. We must regain security, especially by combating illicit income, restoring our public forces, and reconquering Colombian communities. This is only the beginning of advancing the consolidation of a country that must embrace two revolutions: the energy revolution and the artificial intelligence revolution. This is the shortcut to advancing our youth.

Of course, global warming is a fact that cannot be denied. The country must be aware of this, but we are not major polluters; we only account for 0.46 percent of emissions. We could make a complete transition and climate change would remain the same.

We're going to rebuild the asset forfeiture process, strengthen intelligence and anti-money laundering units to go after the money. When illegal immigrants' income is reduced, their capacity for action is reduced. We're going to seek to strengthen the Public Force, which was severely battered after the Petro administration. It reduced its number of men, weapons, and morale. That's why we've proposed investments to strengthen its intelligence and capacity for action, and for that, we also propose allowing retired Public Force personnel to return without affecting their ranking in order to regain security.

The subjugation processes would be carried out precisely because they are subjugation to justice. What we would eliminate is the possibility of political representation for those who have exercised violence. Colombia cannot continue to tolerate violence. We must draw the red lines: on one side, all democrats, from any political persuasion, and on the other, the violent, with no one defending them. We cannot continue to defend the violent and tell them they commit altruistic crimes.

Submission processes yes, but with jail.

The first thing we'll do is acknowledge the debt, which is currently estimated at 32 trillion pesos. Since the government won't have the resources and can't go into further debt, our idea is to securitize that debt in favor of hospitals and health insurance companies so they can have collateral that allows them to refinance the system. Second, we need to heal the broken veins. The first is corruption. We must put those who steal healthcare funds in jail. Second, we must prevent healthcare resources from ending up paying for elevators and things that have nothing to do with the essential provision of the right to healthcare. We need to take better care of doctors and nurses, who are leaving for other countries. This loss of human capital is causing a lot of damage. It's a shortage of more than 17,000 specialists.

The main objective, as soon as we arrive, will be to reduce the size of the state. We propose to reduce the bureaucracy from 60 billion to 40 or 50 percent. We must merge entities again and eliminate duplicate functions. We want to implement administrative measures from the DIAN (National Institute of National Statistics) to quickly collect revenue by lowering interest rates or other similar measures. We are going to auction off all the assets seized or taken by the Customs agency. We need to raise money without affecting the tax situation of Colombians. We believe that later on, we should rationalize taxes. Colombia cannot have the highest tax rate for the private sector in the OECD. We must commit to a simple tax system that remains stable for at least seven years.

I believe that relations with Congress should be maintained for the benefit of Colombians. We must invite them to build the country's great agenda. Make them part of this country's transformation. I believe in collective construction so that we're all happy and Congress can reap political benefits from the transformations that are achieved. I've shown that agreements can be reached with very different forces, and those agreements can be achieved from the presidency. The agreements this government has made have largely been with me.

We Colombians have decided, amidst polarization, that there is no common ground, but I say there is. We have achieved approvals with all the votes in Congress and with consensus. I believe there are still common grounds that serve Colombia, and we must be willing to support these proposals regardless of political affiliation.

It's no coincidence that one of our pre-candidates was assassinated and the most important opposition leader imprisoned. This speaks to the deterioration of democratic institutions. Furthermore, we have a president who increasingly strains institutional relations. So much so that he came out in defense of dictator Maduro, a neighbor and accomplice to the violence in Colombia. They are beginning to forge a new "Picota" pact with Maduro and the illegal groups. I only hope this won't affect the freedom of elections in Colombia because the actions against the opposition in Colombia are evident and serious. Even so, we remain standing.

I believe that if the United States doesn't come to take dictator Maduro back, the prospect of free elections will begin to jeopardize. I do hope for a military operation against the dictator that will allow Venezuela to regain its freedom.

Juan Sebastian Lombo Delgado