Hometown looks to aspiring Colombia VP Marquez to deliver on inequality promises

FILE PHOTO: Clemencia Carabali, 51, mentor and close friend of Colombian left-wing vice-presidential candidate Francia Marquez poses for a picture in La Balsa, Colombia June 10, 2022. REUTERS/David Lombieda

SUAREZ, Colombia (Reuters) - Former neighbors and colleagues in Colombia's largely marginalized Cauca province hope vice presidential candidate Francia Marquez, a single mother and former housekeeper, will help areas plagued by violence and poverty if her ticket wins the election on Sunday.

But it is unclear how much freedom Marquez, 40, would have to carry out her pledges to improve women's rights and help the poor access health and education if she and presidential hopeful Gustavo Petro, a former leftist guerrilla and current senator, are victorious.