After former candidate Fernando Márquez was disqualified by the National Electoral Council, his brother, Cristian Márquez, set out to fulfill his brother’s dream to govern the municipality of Gamarra, Cesar.
The story began when Fernando Márquez was disqualified from the electoral race, which led his brother, Cristian Márquez, to run to fulfill the family dream of governing the municipality. Before Cristian won the municipal elections, the plans were already underway: govern with the influence of his brother Fernando Márquez and appoint the latter’s wife, Maryury Pino, as Social Manager of the municipality.
On November 10, Cristian Márquez officially announced his candidacy through a publication, where he expressed his commitment to govern alongside his brother and sister-in-law. «Govern for everyone, working with my teammates, my brother Fernando Márquez and our beloved Maryury Pino as Social Manager. Together with the Gamarrans we will transform our town,” Cristian stated in his publication.
‘A television model’
One of the biggest criticisms of the municipal administration revolves around the true autonomy of Cristian Márquez in his role as mayor, or if, on the contrary, as his inhabitants call him, he is only ‘a television model’ for photos and the one who rules is someone else.
“The mayor receives orders from his brother Fernando, to the point that he imposed his wife as the manager of the municipality, that is, the mayor’s sister-in-law, the saying is that the mayor is like a television model, photos at all times with national political figures and any event. The community expected changes and so far they have not seen them, there is discomfort among many of their supporters,” a source told La Calle.
And on his social networks, Mayor Cristian Márquez always praised his brother Fernando Márquez and made it clear that he (his brother) would be the leader of this administration. “The dream of a project of change, led by you, Fernando Márquez, was cut short by injustice. I appreciate your support, brother, and that of hundreds of Gamarra residents who have worked for our municipality. Despite the criticism and difficult days, we continue with a big heart, with faith intact and with the humility that characterizes us, the people are witnesses of that. I reaffirm my commitment to champion your project to transform Gamarra and to fulfill the dream of all Gamarra residents. I am here with you, firm, to walk every path, neighborhood and township, as we have always done and tell people that we are the real change.”
Along the same lines, a Gamarrense stated that: “Regarding the command status of Fernando Márquez, it is clear that he was the one who developed the process of ordinary elections, motivating the leaders to unify on the political issue; Even at the time of their exclusion from the elections, concerns continued, especially because they did not expect this move. “It can be ensured that there is an impact on the brother by guiding the strategies.”
Given these concerns expressed by the community of the municipality of Gamarra, La Calle contacted Mayor Cristian Márquez to learn more about his opinion on the matter.
“Although my brother is a leader who has come throughout this process, like my entire family, this has been a family process, without agents external to them, they have not had any interference either economically or in future commitments in The Administration, although my brother is a representative leader throughout this process. “I have the autonomy and decision-making in the administration of the municipality of Gamarra, I have all the autonomy and all the decision-making for each of the projects that are going to be carried out during this entire four-year period,” the president of the Gamarreses to this journalistic house.
Likewise, the mayor announced that his sister-in-law holds the position of Social Manager of the Municipality due to her closeness to the community. “She earned that position, she was throughout that process, in my brother’s campaign and in my campaign, she earned the affection of the population of the municipality of Gamarra, for this reason she is part of that position of Social Manager, and she is there at the request of the people themselves and the leaders of the municipality of Gamarra.”
They left locals without jobs
In Gamarra, complaints are pouring in regarding officials brought in from other municipalities. These occupy important positions, leaving locals without the opportunity for work. The community has expressed its discontent, asking that the hiring of personnel from the same municipality be prioritized to promote local employment.
“The supporters show their concern because they are taking away the opportunity of the few positions in which they can work, here they are importing people from Aguachica, Río de Oro. In addition to the nepotism that they have imposed, such as the appointment of the Márquez family, in various positions such as Hospital management, and many others,” said a source.
“In these six months of government, the unease has not been long in coming since there are many people looking for a job in the administration, a gift like the previous mayors were used to and that, together with the precarious conditions of the municipality, generates discord,” it is what sources tell La Calle.
Referring to the issue, Márquez expressed that the administration of the municipality of Gamarra has always informed the community about the available job offers. However, he stressed that the positions that can be offered are very limited.
“All the job opportunities that have arisen in this administration have been put in context before the different leaders and the population of the municipality of Gamarra, where they have been asked to bring their resumes to occupy the different positions that the administration currently offers, which are very few, since more than 50% remained in administrative careers and those opportunities have been seen with few possibilities and few places to be able to work in the municipal administration,” explained the mayor.
Don’t they listen to the leaders?
Another discontent that arises in the municipality of Gamarra occurs among the community of leaders, who are dissatisfied because they do not feel listened to by the administration.
“There is dissatisfaction with the leaders, they say that the administration does not receive proposals from any of them. They can explain the project, tell them where to manage it and they don’t listen to anyone. They tell them yes, but that’s it,” a source told this media outlet.
The municipal president of Gamarra expressed that: “TAll my leaders and all the leaders who represent this group that achieved this change for more than 24 years that were in power in the municipality of Gamarra, all those projects and all those proposals that were in the campaign, have been made known to each one of the leaders of this process during these six months that I have been in the administration, as the construction of our Development Plan was also socialized in each of the spaces, townships and paths furthest from the municipality, there we got to listen to each member of the Community Action Boards and presented their needs.”
