Analyst urges valuing freedom amid 81% abstention

Luis Guillermo Echeverri Vélez warns in La República that 81% abstention in the three punteros signals discontent and distrust. He stresses reaching lower strata with concrete messages on daily issues. He calls for mobilizing votes for freedom, highlighting Álvaro Uribe's role.

In his column 'Valoremos la libertad', published on March 22, 2026, in La República, Luis Guillermo Echeverri Vélez interprets the 81% abstention in the three punteros—linked to parliament and consulta—as a clear message of discontent and distrust from the non-voting majority. He notes that 75% of votes come from strata 3, 2, and 1, where people seek practical fixes for basics like moto fuel, job security, rent payments, medicine access, and avoiding police seizures. The analyst says this group tires of past theft narratives and ignores elite debates, Twitter (now X), or figures like the vice president. He criticizes the State for reaching them via radio and RTVC with populist subsidy promises creating false income illusions. Echeverri Vélez quotes Cepeda: 'esto no es contra el tigre ni la paloma, es contra Uribe', arguing Álvaro Uribe awakens popular identification and drives massive organic voting like in 2016. He warns against becoming like Cuba or Venezuela through judicial system changes threatening freedoms, economy, and coexistence. He labels traditional politicians as State parasites and urges everyone to bring voters to polls for freedom, using targeted digital messages for lower strata.

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