Colombian voters elect country's first Black vice president
by MANUEL RUEDA and ASTRID SUAREZ Associated Press
June 20, 2022
FRANCIA MARQUEZ Credit: Darwin Torres photos
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — As Colombia’s voters put aside a longtime antipathy to leftists and chose one as their new president, they also carved out another milestone — electing the country’s first Black vice president.
When former leftist rebel Gustavo Petro takes office as president on Aug. 7, a key player in his administration will be Francia Marquez, his running mate in Sunday’s runoff election.
Marquez is an environmental activist from La Toma, a remote village surrounded by mountains where she first organized campaigns against a hydroelectric project and then challenged wildcat gold miners who were invading collectively owned Afro-Colombian lands.
The politician has faced numerous death threats for her environmental work and has emerged as a powerful spokeswoman for Black Colombians and other marginalized communities.
More:
https://amsterdamnews.com/news/2022/06/20/colombian-voters-elect-countrys-first-black-vice-president%ef%bf%bc/
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