After knowing the results of the vote, Petro, along with fellow campaigner Francia Márquez, met with thousands of supporters at the Movistar Arena in this capital, where he assured that he did not vote for those who had won the Historic Pact would disappoint.
“What we are writing right now is history, a new history for Colombia, for Latin America, for the world,” he said in his first speech after Sunday’s victory.
What is coming is real change, real change, and in doing so we are endangering our very existence, life itself, we will not betray this electorate who have been shouting at the country, the story that is that Colombia is changing, starting today, stressed Petro.
“It’s not a change to take revenge, it’s not a change to stir up more hatred, it’s not a change to deepen sectarianism in Colombian society,” he stressed.
Today’s elections showed two close Colombias in terms of votes, and we want it to be one Colombia amidst its diversity, he stressed.
In a conciliatory speech, he assured that the government of hope had arrived and thanked the thousands and thousands of people who had gone for days and months to seduce the vote and speak to those who still didn’t believe in his project .
He recalled that this power expressed by the people at the elections comes from times long past, from generations that are no longer here, and the forces that contributed to the triumph of the pact are five centuries old of resistance and rebellion against injustice, discrimination and inequality.
He said that strength came from youth and their struggles throughout history, and with that in mind he asked the nation’s Attorney General to release the young people, particularly those arrested in those days leading up to the election.
He also urged the Attorney General to reinstate the suspended mayors in this electoral context.
Freedom, freedom, freedom! Thousands of Colombians sang in the capital’s facility.
Petro invited those who voted for Rodolfo Hernández, his candidate, to participate in his government and the former candidate for dialogue.
Everyone will be welcome at the Casa de Nariño, there will be no political persecution, said Petro, who advocates a deep, colorful democracy of free men.
This government, which will take office on August 7, will be the government of life, that is: peace, social justice and environmental justice, he stressed.
The leader of the Historic Pact stressed that Colombia would not have a government of life unless peace was made.
jha/otf