Petro won a clear majority, not enough to avoid the second round, accounting for no more than 50 percent of the total number of voters. Photo: Latin Press.
Women’s participation in Colombia is at the center of debate today amid candidate Rodolfo Hernández’s rejection of misogynist demonstrations, who will be vying with Gustavo Petro for the country’s presidency.
Petro’s government program, which won the first round with Francia Márquez (runner-up) last Sunday and advanced to the second round with more votes on June 19, includes women as protagonists in the different spheres of the life of this nation.
The “Colombia is Woman” section contains 13 proposals in favor of this sector, which represents more than 50% of Colombia’s population.
One of the most important points of this project, built jointly between the various alternative and leftist forces that come together in the Historic Pact, is the Ministry of Equality.
This group believes that respect for human rights guarantees the full exercise of citizenship and democracy through actions and interventions in promotional and prevention programs.
“The Department for Equality promotes, defends and guarantees women’s human, civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights for a comfortable life for all,” she adds.
This institution will give priority to parity and the development of comprehensive public policies that guarantee the protection of women’s rights, their social development to overcome gender, ethnic, cultural and territorial differences, inclusion, peace, recognition of victims and reparations by the state . with the assertion of rights.
Likewise, the Historic Pact proposes promoting a National Program for Safe Cities and Territories that guarantees all women non-violent spaces and rights at all levels in all social, economic, cultural and political fields of action.
The Pact’s government program stresses that it will ensure that women hold 50% of jobs in all areas of the public sector to tackle the pay gap.
He proposes, and it is already a fact, the lists, parity in the presidential formula and parity to govern Colombia.
With more than eight million votes, the Historic Pact presidential formula won the first round of elections but goes into the second round on June 19 against Rodolfo Hernández and Marelen Castillo of the Anti-Corruption League.
Hernández has been criticized for his comments against women, saying he prefers them to be at home doing chores.
“The ideal would be for women to devote themselves to raising children (….) It is good that they provide comments and support from home. People don’t like the woman involved in government,” said candidate Hernández, who is also under investigation for acts of corruption in the Vitalogic case, who has been criticized for his verbal and physical abuse of others.
He also questioned a law against femicide in Colombia that had been passed in Bogotá’s national park since the 2012 killing of Rosa Elvira Cely.