Julián López, president of the Chamber, chained himself to his seat in protest against the sanction imposed on the U Party: 'They will not be able to silence the truth'

The Speaker of the House, Julián López, staged an unusual scene: the representative tied himself to his seat and covered his mouth with a rag in protest against the decision of the U Party to suspend his voice and vote, after opening a disciplinary process against him for promoting the dissident group 'La Nueva U'.

"They can try to silence us, but they will not be able to extinguish the truth. To my family, my friends, and the country I say: stay strong," the representative wrote on his social media.

The congressman announced that he will not preside over the plenary session until the legal situation is resolved. " The party unjustly decided to apply precautionary measures against me, suspending my right to speak and vote for three months. However, my greatest interest is that we can continue having the debates that the country needs at this time," he asserted.

Among the measures taken against López is the initiation of a formal disciplinary investigation, the evidentiary phase of which cannot take more than 30 days. He was also provisionally suspended from membership for three months, which implies the suspension of his speaking and voting rights on behalf of the Party.

A few weeks ago, Representative López launched 'New U,' which he announced as an alternative to the current leaders of the party. It was unclear whether this was a move to create a split or another strategy to position himself within the party.

“As the collective directors of the Union for the People Party -Party of the U-, we strongly reject the conduct of Representative Julián López Tenorio during the event, which he called the launch of "The New U", in events carried out in the city of Cali,” reads the statement from the group signed by co-presidents Alex Vega and Clara Luz Roldán.

This initiative, led by the Speaker of the House, seeks to counterbalance the political power of Dilian Francisca Toro within the U Party. The governor's key ally within the party is Clara Luz Roldán, who serves as co-president. Toro has become one of the most vocal opponents of the Petro administration, and her votes have been decisive, as in the election of Carlos Camargo as the new magistrate.

"The U Party has unjustly sanctioned me for raising my voice on behalf of thousands of Valle del Cauca residents dissatisfied with the results of the current political team governing the department. A few weeks ago, we formed the New U Team, a space like those many of you have within your own parties, which enrich democracy. This team was created to restore faith in good politics, so that those who think differently within the party in Valle del Cauca also have a voice," López stated.

Juan Pablo Penagos Ramirez