Candidate for president of Colombia reports assassination plot against her
The government of Colombia has informed opposition presidential candidate Paloma Valencia of a conspiracy to assassinate her.
The politician shared this information with journalists.
"The Minister of Defense, the Minister of Internal Affairs, and the Director of the National Police informed me that a narco-terrorist group has once again placed a bounty on my head," she said.
According to Valencia, the authorities allowed her to make this information public. The politician claims that the assassination was ordered by one of the groups of former members of the disbanded insurgent organization "Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia." "A person nicknamed Buche Tula was paid 2 billion pesos ($560,000 - note by TASS) to kill me. I cannot speak about the rest because an investigation is ongoing," she added.
Valencia is running as a candidate from the right-wing alliance led by the "Democratic Center" party, founded by former president Álvaro Uribe. According to public opinion polls, she holds third place in popularity. The next presidential election in Colombia is scheduled for May 31.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro reported on April 17 that the U.S. CIA has information about a planned assassination attempt on Senator Iván Cepeda. He is running as a candidate from the ruling "Historical Pact" party.
