Verónica Alcocer is the next first lady of Colombia . During the campaign, her agenda seemed to transcend her husband, Gustavo Petro , elected this Sunday (19). Alcocer said she is embarking on a personal project of “trying to make a name for herself” that has seen her touring the country for months.
Alcocer was born in Sincelejo, in the department of Sucre, in the north of the country, to a right-wing coastal family with a good economic position. She, who recently turned 46, met Gustavo Petro, 62, in early 2000, when the politician traveled to Sincelejo to give a lecture at the Corporación Universitaria del Caribe, where Alcocer was studying law. The First Lady, however, did not complete the course.
In an interview with Blu Radio, he says that at the beginning there was practically no exchange of words between the couple: he arrived, paid a compliment and went on his way. At the conference, she was impressed by Petro’s intelligence. The rest is history.
As Alcocer had been raised in a conservative family, the couple’s biggest challenge seemed to be her father, Jorge Emilio Alcocer, a great admirer of conservative politician Álvaro Gómez. However, despite Petro’s guerrilla background in the April 19 Movement, everything went very well.
That same year, they were married. She had a son, Nicolás, and together they had two other daughters: Sofía and Antonella. Petro also had several children from his previous marriages.
They have been together for more than 20 years, years in which Alcocer dedicated himself mainly to taking care of his family – in 2019, there was talk of his possible candidacy for the mayor of Sincelejo, but, in the end, the idea did not move forward. Yet.
The “Personal Project of Verónica Alcocer García”
Local media marks the change in Alcocer in 2018, when Petro was running for president with Iván Duque, compared to what is seen now. Why did she go “on stage” in this campaign? He was recently asked >in an interview with Caracol. And her response was, “It’s time.”
He stated that he has already accomplished “the work of taking his children forward” and embarked on what he calls “Victoria Alcocer’s personal project” in which, according to the interview, he tries to “build a name” with activities and thoughts of his own. These can be “parallel” to the Petro, but independent.
“My daughters, the two eldest, are at university. And Antonella [a pequena] is super independent and responsible. So I don’t have to stay 100% at home. Now comes another opportunity. If I helped my daughters, why can’t I help the rest of the world? The business is serving,” she said in an interview with El Tiempo, in which two words appear that she seems to constantly resort to: serving and God.
That desire led her to spend more than six months touring the country.
Tell the stories of Colombia
“I am passionate about telling the stories of Colombia!”, says the biography of his social networks. Her first Instagram post is from January of this year and since then she has shared over 120 photos and videos. And, in many cases, they are not candid photos, quite the contrary: they are well-edited images in which she combines her own words with those of the people she visits, in addition to stories, many stories.
Women are the main protagonists of their messages on the networks, which combine life stories, walks through different corners of the country, conversations with businessmen and the dissemination of traditions and local commerce. It also has a lot of music and dancing on its bills.
Who doesn’t usually appear in the images is Petro. There, and in her “personal project”, she is the protagonist. And she even cultivates her own hashtag: #EuSouTuaAmiga.
There are media that describe her as “sassy” and her networks demonstrate this: Alcocer has “great ease and facility in speaking or acting”.
From Teresa of Calcutta to Michelle Obama
Who does Veronica Alcocer admire? The names that appear in interviews may hint at the kind of leadership she will exercise now that she has become First Lady. In the territory of presidential candidates’ wives, Alcocer told El Tiempo that his references were Michelle Obama, for her proximity and simplicity, while in Colombia he highlighted Ana Milena Muñoz, wife of former President César Gaviria (1990-1994), for her connection with the culture area.
Outside the spectrum of first ladies, two names appear in an interview: Princess Diana and Mother Teresa of Calcutta. This second is not surprising, as Alcocer places his faith in God and Christian values at the heart of the message.
What would Verónica Alcocer look like as First Lady
Alcocer told El Tiempo that the “agenda” of his work is marked by the “needs of the people”. He considers that the role of the first lady has been seen as “extremely distant” and insists and promises contact and proximity with the population.
Source: CNN Brasil
