Rodolfo Hernández Suárez

Rodolfo Hernández Suárez (26 March 1945 – 2 September 2024) was a Colombian politician, civil engineer, and businessman who served as a senator of Colombia from July to October 2022. He was mayor of Bucaramanga from 2016 until his resignation in 2019. As the nominee for the League of Anti-Corruption Governors (LIGA) coalition, Hernández placed second in the first round of the 2022 Colombian presidential election, and he was ultimately defeated by Gustavo Petro in the second round run-off election. Hernández briefly served in a senate seat offered to the runner-up in a presidential election and took office on 20 July and resigned in October that same year.

In late 2023, Hernández Suárez began campaigning for Governor of Santander and was diagnosed with cancer. In June 2024, he was sentenced to house arrest due to influencing a business contract that benefited his son during his time as mayor. His father was kidnapped and held for 135 days by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC-EP) several years before Hernández Suárez's political career began.

Political career Hernández entered politics and was first a member of the Colombian Liberal Party. He served as a local councilor for Piedecuesta from 1990 to 1992. In 2011, he financed and campaigned for Lucho Bohórquez, a member of the Colombian Liberal Party, who ended up winning the mayoral election of Bucaramanga.

Mayoralty of Bucaramanga (2015–2019) Hernández ran for mayor of Bucaramanga in 2015, financing his own campaign and winning the mayoral election. He served as mayor of Bucaramanga from 2016 to 2019. As mayor, he became known nationally for weekly Facebook broadcasts in which he answered questions from citizens, and for his public fights with city councilors which he accused of being thieving "rats". He also received recognition by giving his salary to public university students. On different occasions, he met with community leaders and youth leaders. In 2018, he was suspended for three months for slapping a councilor. He also faced a judicial process for alleged irregularities in the execution of a consulting contract to implement new technologies for waste management in the El Carrasco landfill, which he would have incurred as mayor of Bucaramanga.

Hernández has previously caused controversy among the Venezuelan expat community in the country after stating Venezuelan women were often "baby factories" who would need to be supported by the state. He later apologized and said he meant to say Albert Einstein.

2022 presidential campaign

Hernández declared his candidacy in 2022 as an independent, with Marelen Castillo as his running-mate. He finished second in the first round of the 2022 presidential elections with 28% of the vote, advancing to a runoff on 19 June 2022, facing Gustavo Petro. After the first round, Hernández expressed gratitude to everyone who voted for him, saying; "To those who voted for me, I tell you now, I won't fail you." He received the backing of the third-placed candidate Federico Gutiérrez, for the second round, urging voters "to keep Petro out".

He campaigned against the corruption of the traditional political class and emphasized his image as a successful entrepreneur who can transform Colombia. He also promised "major budget cuts," eliminating the use of presidential planes and helicopters and donating all the money he would receive as president. He said he would give financial rewards to citizens who report corrupt state officials. He additionally praised President of Mexico Andrés Manuel López Obrador during the campaign for his "anti-corruption efforts." He intended to improve the country's prison infrastructure and would have restructured the National Penitentiary and Prison Institute, expressing zero tolerance for crime. He said that in terms of decent housing, he would close the housing deficit in rural and urban areas. He was dubbed as the 'king of TikTok' on several occasions because of his large following and his extensive campaign during the 2022 presidential election on TikTok.

Hernández lost to Petro in the second round. In his concession speech, Hernández stated, "I accept the result as it should be if we want our institutions to be strong. I sincerely hope that this decision that has been taken is beneficial for all and that Colombia is heading towards the change that prevailed in the vote in the first round". He then called Petro to congratulate him and urged Petro to maintain his commitment to combatting corruption and not to "disappoint those who trust him".

Post-presidential campaign Senator (2022) On 23 June, Hernández accepted a senate seat offered to the runner-up in a presidential election. However, he indicated his intention to seek office in Santander in 2023 and suggested that his senate tenure may last for no more than a few months. He, along with all members of Congress, were sworn in on 20 July. Hernández claimed his presence in the senate was like having Lionel Messi as a goalkeeper. However, he resigned from the upper house on 25 October, saying that the position was "not right" for him. His departure fueled speculation that he intended to run for the governorship of Santander; Hernández also spoke about potentially running for mayor in a city in his home department.

Party status of LIGA

On 19 July 2022, Hernández submitted a request to the National Electoral Council (CNE) to grant LIGA legal status as a political party.

Legal issues In early 2024, Hernández Suárez faced legal proceedings over business dealings during his tenure as Bucaramanga mayor. Hernández Suárez refuted the ruling and vowed to make an appeal. They had four children; two of whom were adopted. His daughter, Juliana, was kidnapped and presumably killed by the National Liberation Army (ELN) in 2004. Hernández Suárez had refused to pay the ransom, arguing it would put the rest of his family at a higher risk of kidnapping.

Illness and death In late 2023, Hernández Suárez was diagnosed with colon cancer while running for Governor of Santander and would undergo chemotherapy. In March 2024, while undergoing judicial proceedings, he announced that the cancer was terminal. Two months later in May, Hernández Suárez was hospitalized due to abdominal pains in Bucaramanga and would begin treatment at his home.

Hernández Suárez died at a hospital in Piedecuesta on 2 September 2024 from surgical complications to remove cancer cells in his liver. He was 79 years old. During his treatment, Hernández Suárez had a hepatectomy and was experiencing liver failure.

His remains were cremated and a funeral was held in Bucaramanga on 4 September.

Political positions Hernández claimed not to be on the right or the left, The New York Times describing him as right-wing, Eldiario, Rolling Stone and others describing as a far right, while other analysts struggled to label him. Patricia Muñoz, a political analyst at Pontifical Xavierian University, evaluated Hernández's political positions as syncretic, saying; "If you had to place him on an ideological spectrum, most would say he's centre-right or right-wing, but when you look at his proposals, they're eclectic." He supported lowering the value-added tax from 19% to 10%, as well as a basic income for all senior citizens regardless of past contributions or lack thereof, and potentially those near or below the poverty line. He also supported progressively writing off debt for students in the lower classes, known as estrato 1 and 2, while also including active students, and those with the best grades. He pledged increased access to higher education in the regions; universal health care; switching from a punitive to a rehabilitative attitude towards drug addiction; granting Olympians and world record holders from Colombia state pensions; increasing social payments for successful sportspeople to up to 100,000 pesos per day; a 50% quota for women in public service and the presidential cabinet; welfare payments for those that maintain and take care of forested areas; as well as limiting fracking unless it meets environmental conditions. Regarding the Colombian peace process, he stated that he would fully implement the FARC peace deal and expressed willingness to add an addendum to the FARC peace deal to include the National Liberation Army.