{"id":225862,"date":"2026-05-22T16:00:59","date_gmt":"2026-05-22T16:00:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/alvaro-uribe-velez-criticizes-abelardo-de-la-espriellas-campaign-and-influencers-who-destroy-democracy-they-pretend-to-be-mileis-advisors-believing-slander-is-justified\/"},"modified":"2026-05-22T16:01:01","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T16:01:01","slug":"alvaro-uribe-velez-criticizes-abelardo-de-la-espriellas-campaign-and-influencers-who-destroy-democracy-they-pretend-to-be-mileis-advisors-believing-slander-is-justified","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/alvaro-uribe-velez-criticizes-abelardo-de-la-espriellas-campaign-and-influencers-who-destroy-democracy-they-pretend-to-be-mileis-advisors-believing-slander-is-justified\/","title":{"rendered":"\u00c1lvaro Uribe V\u00e9lez Criticizes Abelardo de la Espriella’s Campaign and Influencers Who “Destroy Democracy”: “They Pretend to be Milei’s Advisors, Believing Slander is Justified”"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n

Uribe V\u00e9lez’s Critique of Political Influencers in Colombia<\/h2>\n
\n<\/picture>
\u00c1lvaro Uribe V\u00e9lez questioned the role of some influencers in Colombian politics and warned about the use of social networks to spread attacks and electoral propaganda – credit Colprensa<\/figcaption><\/div>\n

\u00c1lvaro Uribe V\u00e9lez has recently re-engaged in discussions surrounding the influence of political influencers in Colombia, specifically with regards to the upcoming 2026 presidential campaigns. In a recent post on his X account, Uribe raised alarms about the impact certain content creators have on public debate and the implications for democracy.<\/p>\n

Dividing Influencers: Allies or Adversaries?<\/h3>\n

The former president classified influencers into two camps: those he considers “good” and “sincere,” who contribute positively to the discourse of freedom, and those he claims “destroy democracy.” He criticized some influencers for posing as advisors to presidential candidate Javier Milei and for employing slander as a weapon in political warfare.<\/p>\n

Targeting Specific Influencers<\/h3>\n

In his outspoken criticism, Uribe specifically named Santiago Giraldo, a political content creator who has been vocal in discussions about Abelardo de la Espriella\u2019s 2026 campaign, alleging that certain campaigns finance content to shape narratives.<\/p>\n

The Role of Influencers in Modern Campaigns<\/h3>\n

The influence of digital activists has surged in recent electoral strategies. Between January and March 2026, Colombian presidential campaigns reportedly spent over 2.7 billion pesos on digital advertising, a portion of which was directed towards influencers responsible for amplifying messages and attacking political opponents.<\/p>\n

The blurred lines in this dynamic have become evident. Campaigns from various ideological backgrounds, including left, right, and center, utilize digital influencers who tailor their messages for platforms like TikTok and Instagram.<\/p>\n

Controversial Digital Tactics<\/h3>\n

Notably, the case of Iv\u00e1n Cepeda of the Historical Pact highlights a shift away from traditional political messaging. Influencers have played a pivotal role in broadcasting his campaign messages, creating a network of supporters that enhances his visibility.<\/p>\n

Similarly, De La Espriella\u2019s campaign has leaned heavily on activists to shape narratives linking Uribism with Petrism. While De La Espriella publicly distances himself from aggressive tactics, the influence of digital activism remains significant.<\/p>\n

The Fallout of Controversial Campaign Strategies<\/h3>\n

An incident that escalated the discourse occurred on May 5, 2026, when followers of De La Espriella mobilized through WhatsApp to urge the Attorney General to suspend Interior Minister Armando Benedetti. Misinformation circulating on social networks claimed Benedetti was aligning with opposing factions, prompting harsh responses from political figures.<\/p>\n

Influencers involved were branded “criminal winemakers” in a heated exchange, underscoring the toxic environment of political campaigning in the digital age.<\/p>\n

Conclusion: A New Era of Political Influence<\/h3>\n

The dialogue surrounding political influencers is intensifying, especially as figures like Laura Daniela Beltr\u00e1n, known as \u201cLalis,\u201d come to light for their alignment with government messaging while holding contracts with state entities. With the rise of high-profile endorsements from influencers like Yeferson Cossio, the electoral landscape in Colombia is increasingly shaped by digital audiences, raising questions about authenticity, accountability, and the soul of democracy itself.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n


\n
General News – 2<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Uribe V\u00e9lez’s Critique of Political Influencers in Colombia \u00c1lvaro Uribe V\u00e9lez questioned the role of some influencers in Colombian politics and warned about the use of social networks to spread attacks and electoral propaganda – credit Colprensa \u00c1lvaro Uribe V\u00e9lez has recently re-engaged in discussions surrounding the influence of political influencers in Colombia, specifically with […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":225863,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[50222,25625,37866,5146,167,2544,1248,3837,49609,5750,7764,38538,427,39080,36936,39906],"class_list":["post-225862","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mazagine","tag-abelardo","tag-advisors","tag-alvaro","tag-believing","tag-campaign","tag-criticizes","tag-democracy","tag-destroy","tag-espriellas","tag-influencers","tag-justified","tag-mileis","tag-pretend","tag-slander","tag-uribe","tag-velez"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/225862","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=225862"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/225862\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":225864,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/225862\/revisions\/225864"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/225863"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=225862"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=225862"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=225862"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}