Gustavo Petro is elected President of Colombia

LAST UPDATE: 08.18

The result of yesterday’s presidential election in Colombia is historic: the opposition Gustavo Petro is the first candidate of the left to be elected president in the history of this Latin American state, with the ambition to “change” a country in crisis, which has never experienced such switching.

Mr Petros, 62, received 50.45% of the vote, compared to 47.30% for his opponent, the eccentric millionaire Rodolfo Hernandez, according to the official results of the second round of voting, with 99.95% of the ballots counted. .

With 11.2 million votes, the senator won by a margin of about 700,000 votes the real estate businessman (10.5 million), who was credited with the surprise of the first round, when he knocked out the right-wing candidate.

Participation in the process (58%) was the highest since the beginning of the century.

“Inevitable” change

“It’s a day of celebration for the people. Let them celebrate their first popular victory,” the former rebel and former mayor of the capital Bogota celebrated on Twitter.

He wished the “sufferings” to pass “from the joy that floods the heart of the homeland”.

“Colombians, today (yesterday Sunday) the majority of citizens chose the other candidate. As I said during my campaign, I accept the result of this election,” Mr Hernandez said in a video. from his home uploaded directly by his team to social networking sites.

“I hope Dr. Gustavo Petros knows how to govern the country and stay true to his word on fighting corruption,” he added, sullen.

Right-wing outgoing President Ivan Duque said on Twitter that he had called the winner to “congratulate him”. We will “meet in the coming days to begin a harmonious, institutional and transparent transfer” of power, Duce added, whose term ends on August 7th.

Another historic aspect of Mr Petros’s victory: an Afro-Colombian has been elected Vice President for the first time – she is only the second woman to take office.

The charismatic Franca Markes, 40, a poor villager who has been an activist against gold mining since she was a child, is believed to have played a key role in the campaign.

The results caused excitement in the big hall in the center of the capital where Mr. Petros’s team had organized, with music and spectacles, its election night. The slogans of the campaign were displayed on giant screens: “With Petros, change is inevitable”, or even “All Colombia wins”.

“We will finally have a change,” said 25-year-old Lushimar. The change that “the people of Colombia have longed for for over a hundred years,” said 72-year-old Edgar.

Many challenges

These elections marked a heavy defeat for the conservative and liberal elites in power for two centuries in the fourth strongest economic power in Latin America.

The two candidates who prevailed in the first round spoke of a rift, “anti-systemic”, with Mr. Petros (40%) projecting a “progressive vision” and Mr. Hernandez (28%) promising to end the “thieves” and “corruption”, endemic to the country.

The election campaign was extremely bitter, marked by insults, accusations of all kinds, misinformation, “revelations” that were blows below the waist. Polls put the two rivals in an ambiguous battle.

As in the first, no extensive episodes were reported that could cause a problem in the second round, which was watched by dozens of observers and foreign missions.

The European Union, which has deployed an observer mission in the country, congratulated Mr Petros and Mrs Markes on their victory and this “rotation that is part of democracy”, as set by Ambassador Jill Bertrand.

The assumption that the result would be too ambiguous had raised concerns in recent days, with Mr. Petros’s faction expressing doubts about the reliability of the process and especially the counting software.

The elections were held against the backdrop of the deep crisis in the country after the pandemic, the paralyzing economic recession, the relentlessly suppressed anti-government demonstrations, the new escalation of the violence of the armed organizations operating in the provinces and fighting for control of drug trafficking.

This was the third time that Mr. Petros was a candidate in the presidential elections; the previous one was in 2018.

After the zigzag across the country, his nearly 100 pre-election rallies before the first round, in the last three weeks he tried to show that he is close to the ordinary citizen, to correct the image of the politician who says bold words, the authoritarian , of the man with messianic tendencies created by his opponents.

“I have dedicated my career to the fight for social justice, against inequality and corruption,” the father of six recalled in recent days, promising to rule “with love and not hatred” and change the system “they have run here and there. so many years themselves “.

Mr. Petros announces a stronger state, more taxes for the richest, faster energy transition …

However, “much of the country” fears him because of his past on the far left – he was a rebel of the far-left April 19 Movement (Movimiento 19 de Abril, M-19) and was tortured by the authorities during the civil war – and did not “He wanted to ‘see him president,'” said Sergio Guzman, an analyst at consulting firm Colombia Risk Analysis.

He is called upon to rule with fragmented power in parliament, as his faction, the “Historic Alliance” (Pacto Histórico por Colombia, PHxC), is the leading force, but with the Conservatives and the Liberals maintaining a strong presence.

He also called for overcoming strong reservations in the military, tackling inflationary pressures and the fact that Colombia’s institutions are weak and politicized, according to Guzman.

Satisfaction on the Latin American left for the victory of Gustavo Petros

Presidents of the left – leaning towards the center, revisionist, nationalist, revolutionary … – in Latin American countries hailed via Twitter the electoral victory of the former guerrilla who transformed into a social democrat Gustavo Petros.

Gabriel Boric, President of Chile

“I just spoke with Gustavo Petro to congratulate him on his victory in the Colombian presidential election with Franca Marquez. I’m happy for Latin America! We will work together for the unity of our continent in the face of the challenges of a world changing with speed. Forward! “.

Alberto Fernandez, President of Argentina

“I am delighted with the triumph of Gustavo Petro and Franca Marquez, which culminated in the election process in Colombia. I congratulate the President-elect on the confidence shown in him by the Colombian people. democracy and guarantees the path to a united Latin America at this time, which demands the greatest solidarity between brotherly peoples “.

Nicolas Maduro, President of Venezuela

“I congratulate Gustavo Petro and França Marquez on their historic victory in the presidential election in Colombia. The will of the Colombian people, who mobilized to defend the path to democracy and peace, has been heard. A new era looms on the horizon for this sister country “.

Diosdado Campejo, first vice-president of Venezuela’s ruling party

“Colombia voted for the change, we wish the greatest possible success to President Petros and Vice President Marquez, to the Colombian people (…). United, never defeated!”

Miguel Dias-Canel, President of Cuba

“I extend my fraternal congratulations to Gustavo Petro on his election as President of Colombia, this historic popular victory. We reaffirm our will to move forward in the development of bilateral relations for the good of our peoples.”

Luis Arce, President of Bolivia

“Congratulations to the people of Colombia! Congratulations to Brother Gustavo Petro and Sister Franca Marquez for their victory in the polls. Latin American integration is on the rise. We are participating in the celebration of the Colombian people.”

Manuel Lopez Obrador, President of Mexico

“Gustavo Petro’s victory is historic. Conservatives in Colombia have always been stubborn and hard. Writer José Mar Βa Vargas Villa said that his country ‘s dictators’ dipped their textbooks in holy water before killing them.’

Pedro Castillo, President of Peru

“I called Gustavo Petro to congratulate him on his historic democratic victory in Colombia. We are united by the common feeling that we must improve the integration of our peoples (…). Brother Gustavo, you can always count on Peru’s support.” .

SOURCE: AMPE