As expected, leftist candidate Gustavo Petro has convincingly won the first round of Colombia’s presidential election. He will surprisingly face independent candidate Rodolfo Hernandez in the second round on June 19, according to preliminary results.
After counting 97 percent of the vote, Petro ends up with more than 40 percent of the vote, Hernandez has more than 28 percent. The conservative Federico Gutierrez, who represents the traditional right-wing end of the political spectrum, finishes third with almost 24 percent of the vote.
Historic defeat
Gutierrez was long seen as the top favorite to take on Petro in the second round. That he ends up behind Hernandez is therefore a surprise and a historic defeat for the traditional right, which ruled Colombia for decades. A victory for Petro would also be historic, as he would be the first left-wing president in the country’s recent history.
Petro leads the Pacto Histórico por Colombia coalition as leader of the left-wing Humane Colombia party. In the campaign, he promised “change” and a government “for all Colombians” who “want to end the political hatred within society”.
Colombian Trump
The millionaire Hernandez, a businessman, has been dubbed the “Colombian Trump” by the Colombian press for his often outrageous and eccentric statements. He promises to downsize the government and step up the fight against corruption.
According to the National Register, which organizes the elections, voting has been “normal” across the country. In recent days, reports have surfaced that cast doubt on the reliability of the election. Those messages came in addition to threats against Petro and Gutierrez during the campaign.
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