Gustavo Petro is the first leftist politician to become Colombia’s president. According to the Colombian electoral authority, Petro is out of reach for Sunday’s second round after almost all votes have been counted. Accordingly, the senator received 50.47 percent of the vote. His opponent, right-wing millionaire Rodolfo Hernández, got 47.27 percent.
The 62-year-old Petro thus obtained about 700,000 votes more than the 77-year-old Hernández. After turning his back on the armed struggle, former guerrilla fighter Petro was a diplomat in Belgium and mayor of the capital Bogotá, among others. He is pushing for far-reaching reforms, including taxes on the rich, an emergency hunger program and the promotion of renewable energy sources.
“First People’s Victory”
Petro described the result in the online service Twitter as “the people’s first victory” in Colombia. It is “a festival of the people”, joy fills the “heart of the fatherland”.
Hernández admitted his defeat. “The majority of citizens who voted today voted for the other candidate,” Hernández said in a video message. “I accept the result.”
“Start harmonic transition”
The incumbent president recognized the election victory of former member of the M-19 guerrilla organization, Petro. “I called Gustavo Petro to congratulate him as the elected president of the Colombian people,” conservative leader Iván Duque wrote on Twitter. “We have agreed to meet in the coming days to initiate a smooth, institutional and transparent transition.”
Before the polls closed on Sunday, there were some incidents in the former civil war country. A soldier has been killed in an attack by a splinter group of the FARC guerrilla group in San Vicente del Caguán, the newspaper “El Tiempo” reported. An election official was shot dead in the department of Cauca. According to independent election monitors, a total of 104 irregularities have been reported.
Nine suspects arrested
Security forces arrested a total of nine suspects in different regions of the South American country, including a leader of the rebel group ELN and a supporter of FARC dissidents. More than 300,000 police officers and soldiers were deployed to protect voters, polling station officials and candidates.
Social injustice and violence
The challenges for the future head of state are huge: the second most populous country in South America with about 50 million inhabitants is suffering from the economic consequences of the corona pandemic, major social injustice and violence. The peace treaty with the left-wing FARC rebels was only half-heartedly implemented by the incumbent Conservative government.
According to announcements, Petro (62) wants to pacify the country, curb the exploitation of raw materials, promote tourism and more strongly promote tax companies. Little was known about Hernández’s (77) plans. He wanted to act against corruption, although he himself is under investigation for corruption.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
