Gustavo Petro, economist and former M19 guerrilla fighter, won Colombia’s presidential election this Sunday (19), becoming the first leftist president elected by Colombians.
He won the candidate Rodolfo Hernández, businessman and former mayor of the city of Bucaramanga, who surprised in the first round.
According to the national vote count, Petro had 50.49% of the vote and Hernández had 47.25% of the vote. There were about 22 million votes.
The difference was about 717,000 votes. The polls pointed to a technical draw between Petro and Hernández but pointed to a small advantage for the candidate who ended up losing.
This was Petro’s third presidential bid.
- Who is Gustavo Petro, a former guerrilla fighter elected as Colombia’s first leftwing president?
- Who is Francia Márquez, lawyer, former domestic worker and first black woman to serve as vice president of Colombia?
Who is Gustavo Petro? Exguerrilla is favorite for Colombia’s presidency
Shortly after the results were announced, he commented on social media: “Today is a day of celebration for people. May they celebrate the first people’s victory. May so much suffering be absorbed by the joy that floods the hearts of men today.” Land. It is for God and for people and their history. Today is Streets and Squares Day”.
Francia Márquez, who is on the map with Petro, will become the country’s first black female vice president.
Petro was elected on a promise to democratize the country’s economy.
2 of 2 women hug at the headquarters of Gustavo Petro in Colombia on June 19, 2022 — Photo: Vannessa Jimenez/Reuters
Women hug at the headquarters of Gustavo Petro in Colombia on June 19, 2022 — Photo: Vannessa Jimenez/Reuters
“The change we are proposing today is to overthrow this corrupt regime and remove the thief and murderer from power,” Petro said at a May 16 political event, making a strong reference to the political status quo in Colombia .
He had 40.4% of the vote in the first ballot, a good margin over runnerup Rodolfo Hernández, who had 27.9% of the vote.
With a government proposal heavily focused on internal action in Colombia, Petro doesn’t talk much in his speeches and interviews about other Latin American countries or what the relationship of a Colombia he governs with Brazil would be like. His projects for the Amazon mention only the Colombian part of the forest.
He was born on April 19, 1960 in the city of Ciénaga de Oro, in the province of Córdoba. Ten years later, on his birthday, an election allegedly rigged by Colombia’s conservative wing took place. This mobilized the creation of the Movimento 19 de Abril guerrilla group, known as M19.
At the age of 17, Petro joined M19 and his participation in the group marked his entire political career. He was arrested in 1985 for illegal gun possession. According to his own statements, he was tortured by the army and then served 18 months in prison.
Because he was trapped, Petro did not take part in one of the most conspicuous attacks in M19 history. On November 6 and 7, 1985, the group entered the Palace of Justice and took more than 300 people hostage. The takeover lasted 28 hours and ended in a clash with the army. The action left more than 100 dead, including Supreme Court President Alfonso Reyes Echandía.
Parallel to his role in the guerrillas, Petro completed his studies in economics at the Externado University in Bogotá.
The guerrilla group morphed into a political party in 1990, becoming the M19 Democratic Alliance. Petro was one of the founders.
His party actively participated in the creation of the new Colombian constitution in 1990. In 1991, Petro was elected MP for a fouryear term. Then, after receiving death threats, he spent two years in Belgium as an employee of the Colombian embassy. In 1998 he served a second term as MP, but for a different party he founded with other excombatants who left the M19.
He gained greater political notoriety as a senator between 2006 and 2010, the third most. He gained great popularity through allegations of corruption. It revealed links between politicians and criminal groups, as well as illegal schemes involving thenPresident Álvaro Uribe.
He ran for the presidency for the first time in 2010 but received just over 9% of the vote.
After the defeat, he ran for mayor of Bogotá, an election in which he emerged victorious. Petro boasts of creating the Women’s Secretariat during his tenure as mayor and for social advances in health, employment and poverty reduction.
In 2018, while running for president again, Petro was criticized for his friendship with late Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez. He was accused by the opposition of wanting to turn the country into a Venezuela. He lost the election on the second ballot against Ivan Duque.