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.

[2] 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 June 2024, he was sentenced to house arrest due to influencing a business contract that benefited his son during his time as mayor.

[6] 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.

[7] Prior to his entry into politics, he was a civil engineer from 1971 following his graduation from the National University of Colombia, and worked a career in the construction industry as an entrepreneur through the 1990s via his company HG Constructora, mainly focusing on affordable housing in Bucaramanga and the surrounding area, earning over US$100 million.

[10] 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.

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".

[13] 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.

[21] He also promised "major budget cuts," eliminating the use of presidential planes and helicopters and donating all the money he would receive as president.

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

[31] In the application, Hernández emphasised coming second place in the presidential election as the LIGA nominee and mentioned that he and his running mate Castillo had taken their respective seats in the senate and chamber of representatives awarded to the runner-up ticket.

[32] In June 2024, a judge sentenced Hernández Suárez to five years in prison for influencing a multimillion dollar sanitation contract towards a company led by his son during his tenure as mayor.

[7] Hernández Suárez had refused to pay the ransom, arguing it would put the rest of his family at a higher risk of kidnapping.

[37] President Gustavo Petro, former running mate Marelen Castillo, Minister of the Interior Juan Fernando Cristo and former Bogota Mayor Claudia López issued condolences on social media following his death.

"[19] He was described as a populist and compared to Donald Trump and Silvio Berlusconi because he emphasized his image as a successful businessman who could transform Colombia and often used obscene language against the political establishment of his country.

[49][50] 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 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.