Global Applause as Leftist Gustavo Petro Wins Colombian Presidency

[Judi Lynn]

Newly elected Colombian President Gustavo Petro, left, and his running mate, Francia Marquez, celebrate at the Movistar Arena in Bogota, on June 19, 2022, after winning the presidential runoff election on June 19, 2022.

JUAN BARRETO / AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES

BY
Jake Johnson, Common Dreams
PUBLISHED
June 20, 2022

Former guerrilla fighter and longtime lawmaker Gustavo Petro defeated a millionaire businessman viewed as Colombia’s Donald Trump on Sunday to become the South American nation’s first leftist president-elect, riding a wave of mass anger over inequality, poverty, and the corruption of the right-wing political establishment.

“The government of hope has arrived,” Petro, a former member of the M-19 rebel organization that disarmed in 1990 and became an influential political party, told supporters gathered in Bogotá. “This story that we are writing today is a new story for Colombia, for Latin America, for the world. We are not going to betray this electorate.”

Petro’s running mate, environmental activist Francia Márquez, will become the first Black woman to serve as Colombia’s vice president, spurring expectations that the new government will move to tackle surging deforestation in the Colombian Amazon and curb the nation’s reliance on planet-warming fossil fuels. Petro, who will take office in August, campaigned on banning all new oil projects.

. . .

The leftist ticket’s historic victory in a nation long dominated by conservative elites — including current President Iván Duque — was met with enthusiastic applause throughout the region and across the globe.

More:
https://truthout.org/articles/global-applause-as-leftist-gustavo-petro-wins-colombian-presidency/

[Judi Lynn]

1. Latin American leftist leaders hail Petro's victory in Colombia

TODAY 14:58

Gustavo Petro's election as the first left-wing president in Colombia's history sparks joy among similarly aligned Latin American leaders.


Gustavo Petro's election on Sunday as the first left-wing president in Colombia's history sparked joy among fellow Latin American leaders with similar ideologies.

It also continued a trend in recent years that has seen many countries in the region swing to the left, although some would argue those are populist moves as much as ideological ones.

Argentina, Peru, Chile, Mexico, Bolivia and Honduras have all moved to the left in their last elections and Petro's victory sparked a feeling of fraternity amongst these leaders.

"Your victory validates democracy and ensures the path towards an integrated Latin America in this time when we demand maximum solidarity amongst brother peoples," said Argentina President Alberto Fernández on Twitter.

More:
https://www.batimes.com.ar/news/latin-america/latin-american-leftist-leaders-hail-petros-victory-in-colombia.phtml

[Scrivener7]

2. Yay!!!

[EX500rider]

3. Lets hope they don't turn it into another disaster like Venezuela. nt