Colombia’s President-elect Gustavo Petro and his running mate Francia Marquez celebrate their victory in Bogota on June 19, 2022. JUAN BARRETO / AFP
For the first time in its entire history, Colombia elected a left-wing President on Sunday 19 June. Gustavo Petro, 62, won the second round with 50.44% of the vote. His opponent, wealthy businessman and independent candidate Rodolfo Hernandez, won 47.31%, according to preliminary results released in the evening. Turnout was 58%, a record since 1997. If Mr Petro’s victory is historic, so is that of his Vice President Francia Marquez, an Afro-descendant, feminist and environmentalist, no less. Mr. Gustavo Petro will succeed Ivan Duque on August 7th.
At the head of a coalition known as the Historic Pact, Gustavo Petro ran for the third time. In his youth, the trained economist belonged to the small urban guerrillas of the M-19, who laid down their arms in 1990. Since then, Gustavo Petro has been a deputy, senator, mayor of Bogota and senator again. Throughout the presidential campaign, the rights – which Mr Rodolfo rallied for the second round – did not fail to recall Mr Petro’s guerrilla past.
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“The government that will take office on August 7 will be that of life, peace, social justice and environmental justice,” Mr Petro said Sunday night on stage at Movistar, a major show in Bogotá, ahead of his cheers supporters. The future head of state was surrounded by his relatives, the future vice president and many activists.
“Reconcile this nation”
On Twitter, Francia Marquez dedicated her victory to “elders, women, youth, LGBTIQ+ people, indigenous people, peasants, victims, [s]we black people, for those who resisted, for those who are no longer there, for all of Colombia”. At the microphone, she hailed the arrival of “a government of the people, a government of people who walk, a government of those who are nothing.” And finally: “Together we will reconcile this nation in joy and peace”.
Esto es por nuestras abuelas y abuelos, las mujeres, los jóvenes, las personas LGTBIQ+, los indígenas, los campesin… https://t.co/y6LmkjZIhG
“There will only be respect and dialogue,” promised Petro, who before his election had called for a major national agreement to lead the country out of the crisis and consolidate peace. Between the two rounds he had garnered the support of several centrist figures defending the peace deal signed in 2016 with the FARC Marxist guerrillas and partially scuttled by Ivan Duque’s government. “Supporters of Rodolfo Hernandez can come and talk to us whenever they want,” emphasized Mr. Petro. Opposition, whatever it is, will always be welcome. The president-elect, who has vowed to make Colombia “a force for life at the forefront of the fight against climate change,” also tried to reassure business leaders: “We will develop capitalism. Not that we like the system, but because we need to get out of feudalism and into modernity. His conciliatory speech did not convince all of his opponents.
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