Former guerrilla fighter Gustavo Petro is Colombia’s first leftist president and heralds a sea change in the South American country. “I don’t want two countries more than I want two societies. I want a strong, just and united Colombia,” he said on Sunday at his swearing-in ceremony in the capital Bogota. His inaugural address was broadcast on big screens across the country, with thousands celebrating at Bolivar Plaza and across the country.
The former member of the M-19 guerrilla movement announced that he would unite the polarized country in the fight against inequality and climate change and make peace with left-wing rebels and organized gang crime. “The challenges and tribulations we face as a nation require an era of unity and fundamental consensus,” said Petro, who proposed an international fund to protect the Amazon rainforest. “Where is the Global Fund for the Protection of the Amazon Rainforest? We can turn the entire population of the Colombian Amazon into forest protectors, but for that we need financial help from all over the world.”
Renewable energy and rainforest in pictures
To protect the “lungs of the planet”, the international community could reduce its country’s foreign debt to fund actions to protect and reforest the rainforests. If the International Monetary Fund “helps turn debt into concrete action on climate change, we will create a new thriving economy and a new life for humanity,” said Petro, who campaigned for the expansion of renewable energy and the fight against deforestation in the Amazon. The rainforest had promised. According to environmental groups, during the tenure of Petro’s predecessor, Iván Duque, at least 7,018 square kilometers of Colombian rainforest was destroyed.
The new president wants to revive the failed peace negotiations with the rebels of the National Liberation Army (ELN) and promises FARC fighters reduced sentences in exchange for information. “We call on anyone armed to leave their weapons in the dust of the past. Accept legal benefits in exchange for peace and an end to violence once and for all,” Petro said.
Fighting hunger problem on priority list
Also on his list of priorities is tackling the hunger problem in the country of 50 million people, where almost half of the population lives in poverty. The incoming Treasury Secretary Jose Antonio Ocampo will propose a $5.8 billion tax reform to Congress on Monday that would raise taxes on high earners to fund welfare programs. In addition, access to education needs to be facilitated and the health care system needs to be reformed.
Several foreign leaders such as Chilean President Gabriel Boric, Argentine leader Alberto Fernández, Bolivian President Luis Arce and Spanish King Felipe VI. attended the opening ceremony. Anger was sparked when the outgoing conservative government at the last minute refused to hand over the sword of national hero Simón Bolívar and the sculpture Dove of Peace by artist Fernando Botero before the presidential inauguration.
First black woman as vice president
In the second round of June 19, Petro defeated the populist real estate entrepreneur Rodolfo Hernández. Vice President Francia Márquez is the first black woman to head the state. Petro holds a broad parliamentary majority, made up of left-wing and centrist parties, to bring about economic and social change in the Andean country ravaged by unrest and drug problems.
The challenges for the new head of state are huge: Colombia is struggling with the economic consequences of the corona pandemic, major social injustice and widespread violence. The previous conservative government of President Iván Duque only half-heartedly implemented the peace agreement with the FARC. Many ex-combatants therefore went underground again and joined criminal gangs.
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.
