Bogota. Colombia elected its first left-wing president, senator and former guerrilla Gustavo Petro, who defeated independent millionaire Rodolfo Hernández in a tense runoff disputed yesterday, June 19.
Petro, 62, won the election with a 3.2 percentage point lead over the eccentric tycoon, who quickly conceded defeat.
The senator and former guerrilla surpassed his rival by 716,201 votes, according to the scrutiny of 99.4% of the votes.
“Today is a party day for the people. Let them celebrate the first popular victory (…) it is the day of the streets and squares,” wrote the president-elect on Twitter when celebrating his victory.
In his victory speech, Petro asked the Attorney General and the Attorney General for the release of young people who, according to him, are unfairly behind bars.
“I celebrate because we are finally going to have a change, this is something that the territories expected (…) this shows that there is hope,” said Lusimar Asprilla, a 25-year-old African academic.
Colombia thus enters a new political era without a government of the traditional parties, defeated in the first round in which the leftist party also won.
The two candidates arrived at the ballot tied in voting intention. A very tight result was feared that would trigger protests due to the suspicions of fraud that Petro fueled during the day.
The leftist will succeed conservative Iván Duque as of August 7 for a four-year term. The environmentalist leader Francia Márquez will also make history after being elected as the first Afro-descendant vice president of Colombia.
In a live broadcast on Facebook, Hernández accepted the result. “I wish Dr. Gustavo Petro that he knows how to lead the country, that he be faithful to his speech against corruption,” he said.
Radical reforms?
“Finally, thank you, my God. I know he is going to be a good president and he is going to help the least favored, this is going to change for the better,” said Alejandro Forero, a 40-year-old disabled and unemployed man, as he wept in his wheelchair in a Bogota coliseum where Petro’s supporters gathered.
“Although Petro has opposition, he also has more experience due to his time in Congress during the last periods, so he knows the people and how they move. Although his party only has 20% and could reach a maximum of 30%, he would have to negotiate or convince greens or liberals to join him, “said Felipe Botero, professor at the Faculty of Social Sciences at Universidad de los Andes.
“Petro will not have a majority in congress, as the two chambers of the legislative branch are fragmented. Therefore, it is unlikely that radical reforms will be approved in the next four years,” said analyst Daniela Cuéllar of FTI Consulting.
“The legislative branch will serve as an important check and balance on Petro’s more radical proposals. Colombia’s institutional strength and rule of law appear to be solid enough for the country to maintain economic stability,” he added.