A group of people campaigning for the legalization of abortion in Bogotá last March Mauricio Dueñas Castañeda (EFE)
The year 2022 was the year of political change and first times in Colombia. The first left-wing government in the country’s modern history came to power thanks to Gustavo Petro’s victory in June’s presidential elections. The vice president is also a black woman for the first time. The political turnaround shaped the year in all directions. The reforms that have been initiated, from total peace to agrarian reform, must be implemented in 2023, the year that, after these honeymoon months, will surely mark the fate of Petro’s mandate. 2022 also made history for Colombia by decriminalizing abortion by week 24 and was the year women’s soccer ousted men’s soccer for the first time. This is a recap of the highlights of the last 12 months.
A leftist government
Colombia wanted political change after two decades marked by former President Álvaro Uribe, godfather of the last two presidents. The leftist Gustavo Petro and Rodolfo Hernández, a multimillionaire businessman who ousted all traditional parties with a populist discourse, entered the second round of this year’s presidential election. In a conservative society like Colombia, Petro was considered by many to be the closest thing to the Antichrist, earning Hernández all the votes of those who would never support the ex-guerrillas. Both were political reversals, but the Trumpist-style engineer’s unpredictability made Petro a meaningful change in the latter part of the campaign. The left won the June elections.
In his first few months, the President managed to overcome resistance with a very mixed government, with ministers from different sectors and with political experience. That year he also weaved a majority in Congress that seemed unlikely. In this way he succeeded in the tax reform in record time. He also struck a historic deal with the powerful Cattle Union to purchase land, the basis of agrarian reform. She has many other fronts afoot and a global economic crisis that threatens her zeal for reform. The next year will be crucial.
An Afro Vice President
Francia Márquez, Colombia’s first black woman vice president, has become a global icon. During the election campaign she managed to win over many left-wing voters and her result in the primaries forced then-candidate Petro to make her number two, although it is known that this was not her intention. His life story is the life story of the marginalized in a country shaped by centralism, classism and racism. Márquez was born poor, black, and a woman in Cauca, one of the departments that has suffered most from violence and state neglect. Having already made history as Vice President and the country’s first Minister for Equality, from now on her character must be more than just a symbol.
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Legal abortion up to week 24
About 400 Colombians are tried for abortion every year. Thousands more went to secret clinics at enormous risk to their health and lives. A group of feminist organizations asked the Constitutional Court two years ago to end this list and remove the crime of abortion from the penal code. The verdict was announced in February after several delays. The judges decriminalized abortion up to the 24th week, making Colombia the country with the broadest sexual and reproductive rights in Latin America.
A new relationship with Venezuela
The resumption of relations with Venezuela was one of the first gestures by the new Colombian government. Neighboring countries have been in political disputes for six years. The relationship broke up in 2019 during Iván Duque’s government. The resumption of diplomatic relations and the reopening of the border in September marked a new beginning, but it will not be an easy one. Gustavo Petro visited Nicolás Maduro in Caracas in late October at a meeting that turned out to be a bit cold. Chavismo is leading the way with lead feet in his attempt to open after years of international ostracism, and although Petro was the first to throw the life jacket at him, he’s also marking the distances.
The peace process with the ELN
One of the achievements of Gustavo Petro’s government was bringing the ELN, the last active guerrillas in Latin America, to a negotiating table. The idea is to continue the process that President Juan Manuel Santos started and canceled during Iván Duque’s tenure (2018-2022). Petro wants to make peace with the ELN to end a conflict that has raged for more than 50 years, but so far none of the five presidents who have tried have succeeded. The process began in Caracas last November, although the next round of dialogue will move to Mexico this January. Among other goals, the President has set himself the goal of achieving total peace in the country, an idea to be brought to an end through various types of negotiations with all types of violence, from criminal gangs to FARC dissidents or drug dealers . In this ambitious project, the success of the process with the ELN is crucial.
Farewell to Taylor Hawkins
On March 25th, the main stage of the Estereo Picnic was all set to welcome the Foo Fighters. There were only a few hours left when a piece of news silenced this festival taking place on the outskirts of Bogotá. A message from the group on Twitter had just announced the death of drummer Taylor Hawkins, one of the most brilliant musicians of a generation. The musician was 50 years old and stayed at the Hotel Casa Medina in the Colombian capital, where he lost his life. Hundreds of devotees filled the area surrounding the building with flowers and their songs that night. The news went around the world in minutes. The following day, prosecutors announced that a urine toxicology test performed on the body revealed that he had used ten types of substances, including marijuana, antidepressants, benzodiazepines and opioids.
The year of women’s football
Colombia started the year with a farewell to the World Cup in Qatar in a kind of national depression. But the country’s enthusiasm for football came from an unexpected quarter. The ignored and minority women’s football took center stage in the month of October. The U-17 women’s team starred in Colombia’s first World Cup final. Despite becoming runners-up after losing to Spain (0-1), the players earned the respect of the whole country. The game was even watched from the streets on huge screens and people started to know all the players by name. In Colombia they were received as if they were the champions. One of them, Linda Caicedo, was even named Best Young Player of the Year by the International Federation of History and Statistics.
The dollar at 5,000 pesos
On the first Tuesday in November, the dollar broke through 5,000 pesos, its all-time high. The appreciation of the US currency has become one of the most popular topics of conversation and discussion among Colombians in recent months. Many sectors blame the government for the devaluation due to the approval of the tax reform and its messages on hydrocarbons, while the executive defends that the strengthening of the dollar is not an issue unique to Colombia.
endless rain
Colombia has seen its worst rainy season in more than a decade this year. Landslides, floods and river floods have left more than 200 dead, 50 missing and thousands homeless across the country. The government announced a 2.1 trillion pesos ($414 million) gamble in November to address the climate emergency.
The final report of the truth commission
Four years after beginning its work, the Truth Commission, chaired by the Jesuit Francisco de Roux, presented its final report. A document that sheds light on the conflict that Colombia has suffered for more than half a century. There is not a Colombian who has not been hit by some form of violence after more than 260,000 people have died, seven million have been displaced and tens of thousands have disappeared. The final report, while not judicial or binding, aims to open a debate to reflect on what happened and prevent it from happening again. The presentation of the report two days after the elections was marked by the absence of President Iván Duque on a trip to Europe.
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