Twenty years after being kidnapped by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), Ingrid Betancourt is once again running for president of Colombia.

 

The prospective candidate entered the race through the Hope Center Coalition and proposes to bet on a green economy and simplify the tax system, among other issues.

 

"I am here to finish what I started in 2002... I am going to participate in the consultation on March 13, I am going to be part of this Hope Center Coalition as a candidate for the presidency and I am going to work every moment, from sunrise to sunset, to be your president," she said.

Betacourt says that she comes to the election as an older candidate, but with a "strong conscience to work for Colombians," and proposes a campaign in which she invites citizens to have a beer with her to talk about the country's problems. 

 

"Colombia is changing, the peace process and the pandemic allowed us to see the reality of the country and to measure the damage done by corruption. We are kidnapped by it, and we have to free ourselves," she told Portafolio magazine.

 

Betancourt warned that her campaign will not be led by an "intellectual or outdated feminism," but that she will put her aspirations at the service of a joint change between men and women, who will now have a center option. According to Betancourt, "this is the coalition where women will find the space to develop a leadership to transform this country."

 

She was a representative to the Chamber of Deputies for Bogotá and senator in the 90s, and first aspired to be president during the 2002 elections. Her kidnapping by FARC guerrillas ended those aspirations.

 

Betancourt regained her freedom in July 2008 thanks to Operation Jaque, which also rescued a group of members of the Army and U.S. citizens.

 

She has lived for 13 years far from Colombia, after her release from captivity. To reach the Casa de Nariño, she has four months to boost her electoral campaign before the first round of the presidential election on May 29.