The opponent and senator Gustavo Petro became Sunday, June 19 the first leftist president in the history of Colombia, winning over his independent opponent Rodolfo Hernandez. Mr. Petro, 62, won 50.45% of the vote, against 47.3% for his competitor, according to the official results of the second round of the presidential election on Sunday, covering 99.95% of the ballots counted.
With 11.2 million votes in his favour, he is nearly 700,000 votes ahead of the businessman (10.5 million), qualified as a surprise in the first round on May 29, who had beaten the right-wing candidate, which had until now always presided over the country. Turnout was 58%, the highest since the turn of the century.
“Today is a day of celebration for the people. Let him celebrate the first popular victory”, celebrated on Twitter the 62-year-old senator, ex-guerrilla and former mayor of Bogota. “May so much suffering be healed by the joy that today floods the heart of the country. This victory for God and for the people and its history. Today is the day of streets and squares”he still launched.
“Maximum solidarity between brotherly peoples”
“The majority of citizens chose the other candidate. (…) I accept the result as it is”said Mr. Hernandez in a brief live on Facebook from his home, his face defeated. “I called @PetroGustavo to congratulate him as the elected president of the Colombian people”also have announced on Twitter outgoing conservative president, Ivan Duque. “We have agreed to meet in the coming days to begin a smooth, institutional and transparent transition”added Mr. Duque, who could not represent himself.
Whether they are on the reformist or revolutionary left, the presidents of many South American countries have greeted the election of Mr. Petro on Twitter, in a brotherly tone. Gabriel Boric, President of Chile, exclaimed: “I’m happy for Latin America! We will work together for the unity of our continent in the face of the challenges of a rapidly changing world. Ahead ! “. Albero Fernandez, President of Argentina, for his part affirmed that ” his victory validates democracy and secures the path to an integrated Latin America, in these times that demand maximum solidarity between brotherly peoples”. “New times are looming on the horizon for this brotherly country,” predicted Nicolas Maduro, President of Venezuela.
Andrés Manuel Lopez Obrador, President of Mexico, called the victory “a history » and quoted the writer José Maria Vargas Vila who “said that the dictators of his country dipped their daggers in holy water before killing”. The President of Cuba, Miguel Diaz-Canel, has reiterated [sa] willingness to progress in the development of bilateral relations for the well-being [des deux] peoples »while Luis Arce, President of Bolivia, believes that ” Latin American integration is strengthened » by this election. Finally, Pedro Castillo, the President of Peru assured the ” support “from his country to his” Brother Gustavo »
“Finally the change”
The two first-round qualifiers came out on top with a breakup speech and “anti-establishment”Mr. Petro (40%) delivering a speech “progressive” and social, in favor ” of life “ and against poverty, while Mr. Hernandez (28%) promised to put an end to corruption, an endemic disease of the country.
The announcement of the final results provoked jubilation in the large auditorium in the center of Bogota where Mr. Petro’s campaign team organized, with music and entertainment, its election evening. “We are finally going to have change”welcomed Lusimar Asprilla, 25 years old. “It’s something that the whole country was waiting for”. “This is the change to which all the Colombian people have aspired for more than a hundred years”exulted Edgar Sarmiento, a 72-year-old retiree.
With the victory of Mr. Petro, an Afro-descendant becomes vice-president of the country for the first time: the charismatic Francia Marquez, 40, a modest villager who has become an environmental activist, and who played a big role in the campaign as the candidate’s running mate.
An election without major incident, in a context of crisis
The fight was particularly bitter between the two men, with a campaign made up of accusations of all kinds, misinformation and other low blows. The latest polls released a week ago gave the two men a near tie, as the traditional right, in disarray, immediately called for a vote in favor of the real estate magnate.
As during the first round, no major incident disturbed this second round, monitored by a cohort of observers and international missions. The European Union (EU), which had a mission there, congratulated Mr. Petro through the voice of its High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, for his “election as the next president of Colombia”.
This election took place in a context of deep crisis in the country, after the pandemic, a severe recession, harshly repressed anti-government demonstrations, and an increase in violence by armed groups in the countryside. In a divided country, which emerged even more polarized from this presidential election, all analysts insist on the immense task that awaits the new president to recompose a fractured society.