The Colombians decide this Sunday (19) who will be the new president of the country, and the dispute is polarized between the left and the right. Left-wing senator Gustavo Petro, a former mayor of Bogotá and a former guerrilla fighter, and businessman Rodolfo Hernández, a right-wing populist candidate with an anti-system discourse, will compete for office in the second round of Colombia’s elections.
For the first time in two decades, the dispute will not have a name linked to former president Álvaro Uribe.
According to analysts consulted by the CNN, the end of the first presidential round in Colombia, held on May 31, left a clear protagonist, a left with unprecedented votes and several losers. The political debate is no longer between uribismo and petrismo, and a punishment to the established political system and the desire for change are evident .
The most conservative country in Latin America could regain a left-wing leadership if Gustavo Petro is elected; the candidate took the lead in the first round, with 40.4% of the votes – 8.5 million Colombians opted for him.
However, if voters who voted for Federico Gutierrez — the third-placed finisher at the end of May — opt for Rodolfo Hernández, the populist candidate who has been called “Jair Bolsonaro” or “Colombia’s Donald Trump,” he has a better chance of winning. . In the first round, Hernández received 27.9% of the vote, equivalent to 5.9 million people.
Safety
The election campaign takes place at a turbulent time in Colombia. In addition to the pandemic, the country was the scene of major protests, violently repressed by the police, and the return of attacks after the peace agreement with the FARC.
Both candidates reported that they received death threats during the election campaign, and Hernández canceled all of the last week’s events for that reason.
The second issue surrounding the security issue is that the candidate who does not win might not accept the result, as there has been evidence of electoral fraud in the past.
both spoke to CNN and said, however, that they will respect the election results.
Who are the candidates:
Gustavo Petro
A leader of the left, Petro is recognized as a former member of the guerrilla group M-19 (April 19 Movement), demobilized in the 1990s. His past as a militant made the public life of the first place controversial.
Born in the municipality of Ciénaga de Oro, in the department of Córdoba, on the Caribbean coast, in 1960, he entered public life at a young age, at the age of 21, as a municipal councilor, a sort of councilor. It was also at this time that he approached the M-19.
This year’s election is Petro’s third bid for the presidential seat. Previously, the candidate was a senator and mayor of the Colombian capital, Bogotá.
Rodolfo Hernández
With a beginning of political life full of polemics, he calls himself “Engineer Rodolfo Hernández”.
Born in Piedecuesta, in the department of Santander, in 1945, he is a businessman in the same region, located in the northeast of Colombia.
In 1992 he was elected councilor, but never took office. Years later, in 2016, he was elected mayor of Bucaramanga, although he did not complete the term due to a series of disciplinary sanctions imposed by the Attorney General of Colombia due to scandals. THE CNN contacted Hernández’s representatives about the events, but received no response.
*With information from CNN International
Source: CNN Brasil
I am Sophia william, author of World Stock Market. I have a degree in journalism from the University of Missouri and I have worked as a reporter for several news websites. I have a passion for writing and informing people about the latest news and events happening in the world. I strive to be accurate and unbiased in my reporting, and I hope to provide readers with valuable information that they can use to make informed decisions.
