Colombians in Venezuela Mobilize to Support Activist Piedad Cordoba’s Bid for President

The Association of Colombians in Venezuela has started the process of gathering signatures in support of the former Colombian senator and activist Piedad Cordoba's presidential candidacy.

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"From Venezuela, we Colombians have decided to deploy throughout the country, to get the 300,000 signatures required by the National Electoral Council (of Colombia)," said the director of the Association, Juan Carlos Tanus.

Tanus said the organization's members is set to achieve their goal by November. He estimated that they may be able to collect more than one million signatures.

The presidential elections in Colombia are scheduled for May 2018, the first to be held after the historic peace deal signed last year between the government and the leftist guerrilla group-turned political party, now called the Revolutionary Alternative Forces of the Commons (FARC).

Cordoba announced her decision to run for presidency earlier this year while visiting the grave of the late Cuban leader Fidel Castro in Santiago de Cuba, where she laid down flowers with a message that read, “We will follow your example and defend your legacy.”

The Afro-Colombian politician, lawyer and long-time peace activist is a renowned figure in the country and works with human rights associations in the South American nation and throughout the region.