It is heading for a political earthquake in Colombia. On Sunday, the South American country will break with a long tradition of electing a president from the established political parties. Stealing the headlines Former Bogotá mayor and ex-guerrilla member Petro won, as expected, the first round of elections with 40 percent of the vote. Gustavo Petro won the first round with 40 percent of the vote. Since then, he has been caught by challenger Rodolfo Hernández Photo: LUISA GONZALEZ / Reuters Nevertheless, a 77-year-old right-wing populist is stealing the headlines in Colombia. Real estate magnate Rodolfo Hernández (77) has no political experience from national politics. He also has no comprehensive political program. But in a short time, “Engineer Rodolfo” has become a national phenomenon in social media. Especially on TikTok. “Engineer Rodolfo” actively uses TikTok to front his political agenda. Photo: TikTok / @ingrodolfohernandez The videos of Hernández have been viewed by many millions. They often play on light-hearted humor and simple, pointed political messages. – Hernández has built his campaign around himself as an individual. He has a “man against the system” image not unlike what Trump had in his election campaign, says professor of political science at UiO Benedicte Bull to news. Professor of Political Science Benedicte Bull at the Center for Environment and Development, UiO. Photo: Anja Bergersen / UIO Tribute to Hitler It has blown fresh around Hernández throughout the election campaign. He has refused to run in presidential debates, and he has had to apologize for several statements. Among other things, the one about him admiring Adolf Hitler. Video: TikTok / @ingrodolfohernandez While opponent Petro is a classic socialist, Hernández is not always as easy to place politically. On the contrary, he is full of contradictions. It is difficult to point to a clear and comprehensive political platform for the populist Rodolfo Hernández. Photo: Fernando Vergara / AP The 77-year-old has built his political platform around anti-corruption – but is himself under investigation for corruption. As president, he will become dependent on the political elite he says he is fighting against. – He sells himself as a practitioner who “gets things done”, but will probably be very dependent on many compromises when he meets the political reality in Colombia, Bull thinks. Fear the left After a long period of social unrest and violent riots, Colombians want change. The picture is from the protests in 2020. Hernández has been mayor of the medium-sized city of Bucaramanga, but was an unwritten magazine in national politics until recently. In the first round of elections on May 29, he got a surprising second place. Since then, the popularity of “engineer Rodolfo” has risen as the other candidates have given him their support. – It is probably as much about them fearing Petro and the left, as that they support Hernández and his somewhat confusing political line, Bull says. Although the PR people around the TikTok star have delivered a solid election campaign, Bull is still worried about whether the political apparatus will be as solid. – We saw in both Trump and Bolsonaro that “outsiders” without large political networks and experience in coalition building can sometimes find it difficult in government. Video: TikTok / @ingrodolfohernandez Impossible to predict a winner Voters are following with excitement after the first vote at the end of May. Photo: STRINGER / Reuters In the latest opinion polls, the two candidates are so close that it is impossible to predict a winner. Nevertheless, the danger is great that the form peak has already been reached for Petro, according to Bull. – Petro clearly won by around 40 percent in the first round, but he has struggled to find new groups of voters to free, Bull explains. There was a long queue to vote in the first round of elections. Photo: LUISA GONZALEZ / Reuters While Hernández has made a huge leap of almost 20 percent, Petro has increased by a modest seven. Now the choice can be decided by chance. – It is not the first time in Colombia’s history where coincidences such as bad weather can decide a vote. This will probably be incredibly even, Bull predicts.
ttn-69
TikTok star (77) can become president – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
