The debate surrounding Miguel Polo Polo's resignation from the community council that endorsed him: Will he lose his seat?

Representative Miguel Polo Polo resigned from the community council that endorsed him in 2022 for the Afro-Colombian seat. This Monday, it was announced that he was leaving the community organization, which currently holds the legal status of the Ecologist Party.

“I am personally writing to you to notify you of my decision to resign from the Fernando Ríos Hidalgo Afro-descendant Community Council – “ELEGUA”. I hereby state that, as of the date of the signing of this document, I am no longer a member of this Afro-descendant group,” reads a letter sent by the representative.

According to Polo Polo, his decision is due to the fact that he no longer recognizes himself as a member of the community council. "I consider it pertinent both for your community council, and for me as an individual and a person in society, to immediately separate our communion for the sake of our thoughts, but also for the common good," he says in his resignation letter.

In a brief letter, his resignation was accepted. They then issued a statement harshly criticizing the pro-Uribe representative, who announced his endorsement of Abelardo de la Espriella's campaign this Sunday.

"We inform the public that Mr. Miguel Abraham Polo Polo formally resigned from our community council, which endorsed him as a candidate for the House of Representatives for the Special Afro Constituency. His resignation was immediately accepted by the community council," reads the statement from the Ecologist Party's board of directors.

In that same message, they made harsh comments about Polo Polo: "We deeply regret not having made the right decision in nominating this gentleman, for which we apologize to the Black men and women, Indigenous people, and victims of the conflict in this country."

Along the same lines, they asserted that Miguel Polo Polo does not represent the Afro-Colombian community or its struggles. They also apologized for the re-victimizing acts he committed against the Mothers of Soacha. "We reiterate our solidarity with the mothers of Soacha and with all the victims of the conflict in this country and other people who have been victims of his hate speech," declared the party that received legal status after Polo Polo's victory.

Following the resignation, this newspaper learned that the Ecologist Party will seek to have Polo Polo relinquish his seat and have it replaced by María Inés Villafañe, who was the second candidate they nominated for the Afro-Colombian seat. However, the debate revolves around whether the seat belongs to the party that endorsed it, in this case the community council, or to the congressman who won it by preferential vote.

The last similar incident occurred four years ago, when Roy Barreras and the current Minister of the Interior, Armando Benedetti, left the U Party. They had embraced the Historic Pact, contrary to the majority position of their party. They had said they would resign, which meant they would lose their seats.

However, both retained their seats after being expelled from the party. However, two years later, the Council of State revoked the seat Barreras won through the Historic Pact due to his alleged involvement in dual party membership. Now, Polo Polo's case also opens the debate over whether he should resign or serve out his four-year term. However, it is clear that he will not be able to return to Congress in the next four-year term and that he has also decided not to pursue his presidential aspirations.