Dhe leftist Gustavo Petro will rule Colombia for the next four years. In the run-off election on Sunday, the former mayor of Bogotá and one-time member of the urban guerrilla movement M-19 prevailed more clearly than expected against conservative entrepreneur Rodolfo Hernández. Petro got around 50.5 percent of the votes, Hernández got 47.3 percent. In the last polls before the election, the two were practically level. Francia Márquez will be the first Afro-Colombian to serve as Vice President at Petro’s side.
Petro, who had twice failed in a presidential election before, campaigned for sweeping social and economic changes. The 62-year-old economist wants to combat inequality in the country with free university education, pension and tax reforms, among other things. Some of his proposals are causing great uncertainty in the economy and among investors. For example, Petro wants an end to coal mining and a ban on new oil projects, while respecting existing contracts. Economists consider the project to be radical. More than half of Colombian exports are based on fossil fuels. Only if Colombia produces more can it redistribute and create more justice, Petro said in his speech on election night. But this must be done without destroying the environment. Colombia wants to be at the forefront of the fight against climate change.
More moderate as president than during the election campaign?
Analysts expect Petro to moderate his presidential campaign compared to his partially populist campaign. Reforms that are too radical are likely to meet with opposition from parliament anyway. There, Petro’s alliance, the “Historical Pact,” gained seats in March’s congressional elections, but a dozen parties are represented in the two chambers, most of which are considered moderate. This should make it difficult for Petro to form coalitions on projects that do not have a broad consensus. In his first speech on election night, Petro focused on reconciliation and peace. The election showed two Colombias, but he wanted the country with all its differences to become one Colombia. “The change consists precisely in leaving the hate behind us.” Peace means that Hernández and whoever is in opposition to his government are always welcome in the presidential palace to discuss the country’s problems.
Settling accounts with the political establishment
The entire election was a clear rebuff to the traditional conservative and liberal parties in Colombia, which have ruled the country for decades, and to the right-wing camp around former President Álvaro Uribe and the incumbent President Iván Duque, who took office in August with an approval rating in the single digits. The discourse against the political establishment was already effective in the first ballot. Petro’s rival candidate, Hernández, was also considered a political outsider compared to the political elite. Hernández focused his campaign almost exclusively on social media, skipping all debates. As expected, he also conceded defeat in a video posted on social media. “As I said during the campaign, I accept the results of this election,” Hernández said. He hopes Petro will stick to his anti-corruption promise.
Hernández had little to add after the first ballot and his rather surprising entry into the runoff. Even after a court ordering a debate to be held, Hernández squirmed out. To make matters worse, most of the frowned upon “establishment” backed him after the first ballot. Petro, on the other hand, managed to reach out to more non-voters, especially young Colombians. Around 22.6 million people voted on Sunday, around 1.2 million more than in the first ballot. 58 percent was the comparatively high turnout.
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