Deadline for Colombian VP to resign to run for president

Colombian Vice President Marta Lucía Ramírez will decide today whether to resign in order to run for the presidency in 2022.

The Constitution’s Article 197 requires her resignation a year before the presidential election. Although the election will be in May 2022, the congressional election—which decides what political parties will form government—will take place in March 2022. That means Ramírez, if chosen as either a Conservative or Democratic Centre candidate, should be involved early in the campaign.

While Ramírez has been favoured by incumbent President Ivan Duque, the Democratic Centre leader, this does not guarantee her success. Duque’s government has been split over solutions to massive protests triggered by his poor handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and economic reforms, damaging both the Democratic Centre’s and the leadership’s image. Her main rival may be the president of the Conservative Party, Ómar Yepes, who has announced his candidacy.

Should Ramírez stay in office, it is highly likely that she will be associated with the incumbent president, dragging down her popularity. Expect her to announce her candidacy and resign from the post. By pushing her agendas of supporting micro-business and informal enterprises to consolidate her popular support, Ramírez could make her candidacy more competitive.