Bogota, Colombia (AP)-Former rebel Gustavo Petro defeated a millionaire political outsider in the second round on Sunday, ushering in a new era of Colombian politics and becoming the country’s first left-wing president.
Petro, the senator in his third attempt at the presidency, got 50.47% of the vote, while real estate tycoon Rodolfo Hernandez – 47.27%, according to results published by electoral authorities, almost all ballots is counted.
Petro will be officially declared the winner after a formal countdown that will last several days. Historically, initial results have coincided with final results.
Peter’s victory underscored a drastic change in presidential politics for a country that has long marginalized the left because of its perceived link to armed conflict.
“Today is a solemn day for the people. “Let them celebrate the first popular victory,” Petro wrote on Twitter. There is so much suffering to say goodbye to the joy that now glorifies the heart of the homeland.
At its headquarters in Bogot., The capital, a message posted on the screen reads: “Gracias Colombia” or “Thank you Colombia”.
Outgoing Conservative President Ivan Duke greeted Peter shortly after announcing the results and defeating Hernandez.
“I get the right result if we want our institutions to be strong,” Hernandez said in a video on social media. “I sincerely hope this decision will benefit everyone.”
Polls before the second round showed that Petro and Hernandez – both former mayors – were in a tight battle as they were ahead of four other candidates in the May 29 primaries, although neither received enough vote to win straight and advance to second. shift.
About 39 million people voted on Sunday, but the abstention rate in all presidential elections since 1990 has exceeded 40%.
The vote came amid widespread resentment over growing inequality, inflation and violence, factors that pushed voters to abandon the longtime center and right-wing politicians in the first round and choose two outsiders in the third. most populous country. of Latin America.
Petro, 62, a former rebel has now disbanded the M-19 movement and been granted amnesty after being arrested for joining a group.
He proposed ambitious pension, tax, health and agricultural reforms and changes to the way Colombia fights drug cartels and other armed groups. He received 40% of the vote in last month’s election, while Hernandez received 28%, but the gap quickly narrowed when Hernandez began to attract so-called anti-Petrist voters.
Pietro’s testimony was the last political victory of the left in Latin America, driven by a desire for electoral change. Chile, Peru and Honduras were elected left-wing presidents in 2021, while in Brazil former presidents Luis Inacio Lula and Silva are leading the polls in this year’s presidential elections.
Hernandez, 77, who earns from real estate, does not belong to any of the major political parties and has denied alliances. Its rigorous campaign, conducted primarily on TikTok and other social media platforms, is self -funded.
His proposals are based on the fight against corruption, which he accuses of poverty and loss of state resources that can be used in social programs. He wants to reduce the size of the government by liquidating various embassies and offices of the president, turning it into a museum of the president’s palace, and reducing the use of the president’s air fleet.
Hernandez outscored more random candidates at the end of the first round of the campaign and surprised many when he finished second. He faced controversy, including saying he admired Adolf Hitler before apologizing and saying he was targeting Albert Einstein.
Duke on Sunday called on Colombians to vote and trust institutions with “full confidence in the judgment of the people”.
Petro questioned election authorities during the campaign and said he would check if he agreed with the results after the polls close.
After the vote, he called on supporters to “defeat any attempted fraud” by claiming large numbers of ballot papers, arguing that without providing evidence, voters were given ballots that previously marked as blank for “void”. Voices that can help change ”.
Sylvia Otero Bahamon, professor of political science at the University of Rosario, said that although both candidates are populists “there is an ideology based on the division between the corrupt elitists and the people”, each sees their own struggle against the establishment in a different way.
“Petro refers to the poor, ethnic and cultural minorities in the outermost regions of the country,” Otter said, while Hernandez’s supporters are “people devastated by politics and corruption.” “It’s a more independent society that the candidate can reach directly through social media.”
Polls say most Colombians believe the country is heading in the wrong direction and disagree with Duke, who has no right to be re-elected. The pandemic has halted the nation’s efforts against poverty for at least ten years. Official figures show that 39% of Colombians were living on less than $ 89 a month last year.
The rejection of politics, as always, “reflects the fact that people are tired of the same people as before,” said Natalie Amezkita, a 26-year-old civil engineer waiting to vote. “We need to create bigger social change. Many people are not in the best condition in the country.”
But two outsider candidates also left him indifferent. He said he would get a blank ballot: “I don’t like any candidate … I don’t look like a good person.”
Many voters base their decisions on what they don’t like and not on what they like.
“A lot of people have said,‘ I don’t care who’s against Peter, I’ll vote for who the other candidate is, no matter who that person is, ’” said Silvana Amaia, senior analyst at Control. Risks. “The reverse also works. Rodolfo has been portrayed as a crazy old man, a communication genius and an extravagant character (so some say: “I don’t care who I vote for, but I don’t want him to be my president.”
Both will find it difficult to keep their promises because they do not have a majority in Congress, which is key to reform.
In the last legislative election, Petro’s political movement won 20 seats in the Senate, which is a lot, but it still has to make concessions in negotiations with other parties. Hernandez’s political movement has only two representatives in the lower house so it also needs to negotiate with lawmakers whom he repeatedly dismisses as “thieves”.
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Reported by Garcia Cano from Caracas, Venezuela.
Source: Huffpost
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