Former guerrilla fighter Gustavo Petro has been elected as Colombia’s first left-wing president.
Former member of the M-19 guerrilla movement narrowly defeats real estate millionaire Rodolfo Hernandez, pledging to enact radical social and economic reform.
Former member of the M-19 guerrilla movement narrowly defeated real estate millionaire Rodolfo Hernandez, pledging to implement profound social and economic reform.
Mr. Petro, a former mayor of the capital city of Bogota and current senator has pledged to combat inequality through free university education, pension reforms, and high taxes on unproductive land.
After almost all ballots were counted, he received 50.4% of the vote to Mr. Hernandez’s 47.3%, according to results released by election officials.
Mr. Hernandez had pledged to reduce government spending and fund social programs by combating corruption.
Francia Márquez, the running mate of Mr. Petro, became the country’s first black woman to be elected vice president.
The 40-year-old single mother, former housekeeper, and attorney received threats and a grenade attack in 2019 due to her opposition to illegal mining.
The election was held against a backdrop of rising inequality, inflation, and violence, which prompted voters in the first round last month to punish centrist and right-leaning politicians who had been in power for a long time and select two outsiders for the run-off.
According to the World Bank, more than 42 percent of the country’s population lives in poverty.
Thousands of individuals celebrate in the streets.
Mr. Petro’s victory signifies the end of the left’s stigmatization in the third most populous nation in Latin America due to its perceived ties to Colombia’s half-century of armed conflict.
The 62-year-old former member of the now-defunct M-19 movement was granted amnesty for his involvement with the group after serving time in prison.
He reported being tortured during his incarceration.
Some investors are concerned about Mr. Petro’s victory due to his policies, which include a ban on new oil products, despite his pledge to honor existing contracts.
Mr. Petro told cheering supporters at a Bogota concert venue, “From today, Colombia changes; Colombia is different.” “Change consists solely of abandoning sectarianism.”
Thousands of individuals were observed celebrating in the city’s streets, with some dancing near its largest polling location despite the intermittent rain.
The election of Mr. Petro, which follows two unsuccessful attempts at the presidency, adds Colombia to the list of Latin American nations where progressives have been elected in recent years.
