The candidate from the left, and former guerrilla member, Gustav Petro won over the right-wing populist Rodolfo Hernandez in the presidential election in Colombia on Sunday. When 98 percent of the ballot papers were counted, Petro led with over 700,000 votes. This is the first time Colombia has elected a president from the left, which makes the election historic. – Today is a day of celebration for the people, Petro writes on Twitter, where he declares victory. Colombia joins a number of Latin American countries that in recent years have elected presidents from the left 62-year-old Petro, who has previously been mayor of the capital Bogota, has promised social and economic change. He takes over from conservative Ivan Duque, who could not stand for re-election. PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION: A supporter of the Colombian left-wing presidential candidate Gustavo Petro is waiting for him at the Movistar Arena in Bogota, June 19, 2022, after winning the presidential election Photo: DANIEL MUNOZ / AFP This was the second and decisive reason for the presidential election. In recent years, there has been political discontent in Colombia. Last year, there were large demonstrations against the government of the incumbent president, Ivan Duque Marquez. According to a UN report, Colombian police forces were responsible for 28 killings during the demonstrations. Deciding the future of the peace agreement In 2016, a peace agreement was signed between the guerrilla group FARC and the Colombian authorities. The agreement was to put an end to the long-running conflict that began in 1964. But the agreement has been described as fragile and difficult to implement. Since 2016, there has been armed conflict from non-state actors. The Red Cross announced that 2021 was the most violent year in Colombia after the peace agreement was signed. In the first round, Petro was the candidate with the highest support, with 40.3 percent of the vote. Hernandes received 28.2 percent. But right-wing populist Hernandez managed to capture broad support in the second round. Despite the support of many Colombians, Gustavo Petro has also been a divisive figure in Colombian politics. With the background of a left-wing guerrilla, he has repulsed the conservative part of the country. Different election campaigns Hernandez’s qualification for the second round came as a surprise to many. He has waged an unconventional election campaign, and has, among other things, refused to meet Petro for debate, according to The Guardian. Hernandez has previously been mayor of the city of Bucaramanga. He was laid off twice. The first time was for hitting a colleague, while the second The first time for hitting a colleague, and the second time for breaking the rules of the election campaign. While Petro during his election campaign has spent a lot of time traveling around the country, Pedro has spent parts of the election campaign in Miami in the USA. According to Reuters, he claimed his life was in danger in Colombia. Instead, Hernandez turned to the social media platform TikTok to run his election campaign.
ttn-69
Gustavo Petro won the presidential election in Colombia – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
