It is a beautiful page of history that opens in Colombia. For the first time, a personality of the left accedes to the presidency. It is about Gustavo Petro, 62 years old, designated winner of the last Colombian elections.
Gustavo Petro collected 50.45% of the votes, or 11.2 million votes against 47.30 to his competitor businessman Rodolpho Hernandez, who collected 10.5 million. These elections were very followed in Colombia in which took part more than 58% of the population.
Gustavo Petro, who was previously a senator of Colombia, was one of the figures of the political opposition in his country. He promises to “change” the country which is facing a crisis of governance.
“Today is a day of celebration for the people. Let them celebrate their first popular victory”. “May so much suffering be healed by the joy that today floods the heart of the homeland,” tweeted the ex-guerrilla and former mayor of Bogota, for a first celebration of his victory.
The results were accepted by Rodolphe Hernandez, according to his words during a Facebook live.
“I wish Dr. Gustavo Petro that he knows how to run the country and that he is true to his speech against corruption,” he suggested.
Outgoing conservative president Ivan Duque welcomed Dr. Gustavo Petro’s victory, reporting on Twitter that he had called him “to congratulate him”, before a possible meeting in the coming days to, he said, begin a smooth, institutional and transparent transition.
The European Union, which sent an observation mission, congratulated Mr. Petro and his running mate for their victory, referring to an “alternation that is part of democracy,” according to its ambassador Gilles Bertrand.
These Colombian elections are deeply historic. In addition to Mr. Petro, the first man of the left elected president, Francia Marquez, 40 years old, a modest villager turned environmental activist, also became the first Afrodescendant vice-president of the country.
The announcement of the results gave rise to scenes of jubilation in Colombia, particularly in Bogota, where the headquarters of Dr. Gustavo Petro’s camp is located. The hour of the change rang some demonstrators and supporters of Pedro.
The outcome of this presidential election is a real setback for the conservative and liberal elites of Colombia, in power for two centuries.
This is the right time for Gustavo Petro, who had run for president twice before.
He has a huge task ahead of him. In addition to governance problems and a socio-political crisis, he will have to revive the economy of the fourth largest financial power in Latin America.
Mr. Petro has made the strengthening of the State, the reform of the pension system and the increase of taxes for the richest, his priorities. As soon as he is installed, he plans to suspend oil exploration to make way for an energy transition.
He will have to deal with a divided parliament, where his coalition has a majority but is weakened by a large number of conservatives and liberals. He will also have to reunite the army, which is facing a serious budget problem.
The two rivals have been engaged in a fierce battle, with accusations against each other.
Gustavo Petro and his opponent Rodolpho Hernandez were both speaking out against the establishment. Petro insisted more on progress and social issues, advocating for the right to life, while Hernandez said he wanted to put an end to corruption, which is plaguing the country.
Colombia has managed to hold these elections against a backdrop of deep crisis, marked by a severe recession after the Covid-19 pandemic, socio-political unrest and a resurgence of violence by armed groups.