Left-wing candidate and former guerilla Gustavo Petro wins Colombian presidential race

[peppertree]

Gustavo Petro will become Colombia's first leftist leader, after winning the country's presidential race on Sunday.

The former guerrilla, 62, won by a slim margin of 3.2%, against 77-year-old right-wing entrepreneur Rodolfo Hernández.

With 99.7% of votes counted, Petro's Historic Pact bested Hernández's LIGA alliance with 50.5% (11,270,944 votes) to 47.3% (10,549,290).

In this historic win, his running mate Francia Márquez, 40, will now become the first Afro-Colombian to hold executive powers.

"Let's celebrate the first popular victory. May so many sufferings be cushioned in the joy that today floods the heart of the homeland," Petro tweeted in celebration on Sunday night.

Outgoing Colombian President Ivan Duque said he called Petro to congratulate him on his victory and that they had "agreed to meet in the coming days to initiate a harmonious, institutional and transparent transition."

At: https://www.cnn.com/2022/06/17/americas/gustavo-petro-profile-intl-latam/index.html

Making history, Historic Pact nominee Gustavo Petro hugs running mate Francia Márquez after announcing their ticket in March.

The leftist team - the first elected to high office in Colombia - galvanized voters frustrated by decades of poverty and inequality under conservative leaders. But enacting lasting change in the complex and troubled nation of 51 million may prove daunting.

[IbogaProject]

1. Yea

I hope he can get the legislative votes he needs.

[peppertree]

2. Good point.

With just 16 senators (out of 108) and 25 representatives (out of 172), his Historic Pact will need consensus from the Liberal Party, Greens and other moderate/progressive parties.

So like Argentina's Fernández, Chile's Boric, Peru's Castillo and Mexico's López Obrador, he'll no doubt have his share of congressional headaches (though with some notable successes).

And like the others, he'll almost certainly deliver a lot less change than what many of his supporters are expecting.

Politics. The art of the possible.

All the Best to him.