Colombian Candidates Mockus, Fajarado Team Up For President Election
- BOGOTA -(Dow Jones)- Colombian presidential candidates Antanas Mockus and Sergio Fajardo are joining forces for the May 30 election in a possible joint candidacy that may pose a serious challenge to frontrunner Juan Manuel Santos. Mockus, a former mayor of Bogota, asked Fajardo to be his running mate in a public letter sent on Saturday. Fajardo said Sunday on his Web site that he's ready to accept, though he asked for time to discuss the proposal with members of his party. Both Mockus and Fajardo, who was mayor of Colombia's second-largest city, Medellin, define themselves as independent and emphasize ethics and anti-corruption efforts. Both were popular mayors of their respective cities. With Monday's deadline for presidential candidates to register their running mates looming, it wasn't immediately clear if Fajardo would be on Mockus's ticket. However, Fajardo clearly was throwing his support behind Mockus. "I invite you, once all the details of the union are sorted out, to commit ourselves with all our energy for Antanas Mockus to be president of Colombia," Fajardo told his supporters in a statement posted on his Web site. According to the most recent poll, released last week, Mockus was running third with 9% support, while Fajardo had 5% support. Fajardo was losing steam after his party's disappointing showing in the mid-March Senate elections, winning just one seat. Santos, a former defense minister and heir-apparent to current President Alvaro Uribe, was leading the polls with 36%. His nearest rival was former Foreign Minister Noemi Sanin, who could get 17% of the vote, according to the same poll. Sanin, a Conservative Party member, has said she, too, would continue Uribe's business-friendly and tough anti-guerrilla policies. In Colombia, a candidate must secure 50% of the vote to win. Otherwise, a runoff election is held between the top two candidates. -By Inti Landauro, Dow Jones Newswires; 57-1-694 00 76; colombia@dowjones.com Click here to go to Dow Jones NewsPlus, a web front page of today's most important business and market news, analysis and commentary: http://www.djnewsplus.com/access/al?rnd=ICHG4gIanbPtgeES3%2BTAng%3D%3D. You can use this link on the day this article is published and the following day.
