Francia Márquez distances herself from Álvaro Leyva’s plan to undermine Petro: “I won’t participate in conspiracies.”

Francia Márquez has stated this Sunday that she has not participated in any conspiracy to overthrow Petro, as claimed by Álvaro Leyva in the United States and in other conversations he had with other actors he wanted to involve. “There is no possibility that I would engage in conspiracies,” the Vice President of Colombia said following the exclusive report from EL PAÍS. “I have a clear conscience, a clear mind, and a firm heart. I deeply respect the constitutional order, and within this, the figure of the President of the Republic as a symbol of national unity,” she added.

The revelation of audio recordings in which Leyva explains his plan has caused an uproar in Colombia. In them, the former chancellor gives himself a timeframe of 20 days to overthrow the president with the help of the White House. He met with advisors to two Republican congressmen, Mario Díaz-Balart and Carlos Antonio Giménez, to whom he claimed that Petro was an alcoholic and drug addict unfit to hold office. “We need to get rid of that guy,” an unidentified interlocutor is heard saying.

The 82-year-old politician spoke of a national agreement to push for Petro’s departure. He also considered involving Vicky Dávila, a pre-candidate, and fellow candidate Miguel Uribe, who is currently in a coma due to an attack against him. Dávila has denied on X that she participated in any conspiracy, and there is no evidence that Uribe did either. “Leyva is a mythomanic, very dishonest, but the audios have shown that it is true there has been an attempt to execute a coup against me,” Petro said in a conversation with this correspondent.

In one of the recordings, Leyva implies that he has a free pass from Márquez. He reads messages he exchanged with her and concludes himself: “She is committed.” The Vice President defends that this is not true. “On August 7, 2022, I made a solemn oath before the Colombian people: to defend the Constitution and the laws of the Republic of Colombia. Since then, I have walked with the profound conviction that loyalty to that commitment is also loyalty to the people, to democracy, and to the hopes of millions who believe in a different country,” wrote the former activist, who generated a wave of enthusiasm leading her to secure a large vote in the leftist consultation, only behind the current president. In Colombia, she has lost some traction, but her figure inspires enthusiasm abroad.

“My character has been forged in the struggle, my dignity is non-negotiable, and my commitment to service knows no shortcuts. I have disagreed when necessary, with respect and without outbursts, exercising criticism as an act of honesty and not as a form of rupture,” she declared in the statement.