Gustavo Petro, a former rebel fighter, won Colombia’s presidency after defeating independent candidate Rodolfo Hernandez in the second round of elections.
Ex-guerrilla Petro was elected the first-ever left-wing president of Colombia on Sunday. He won 50.4 percent of the vote, while his rival Hernandez had 47.3 percent. Petro held a lead of more than three points, with around 700,000 more votes than Hernandez.
What did Gustavo Petro say?
After winning the election, Petro wrote on Twitter, “Today is a celebration for the people. Let's celebrate the first popular victory.” Petro also pledged to fight inequality in the country. He promised free university education for everyone, pension reforms, and high taxes on unproductive land.
Petro also said that he is willing to resume diplomatic relations with Venezuela, which were halted in 2019.
Hernandez accepted his defeat in a Facebook live broadcast. He reportedly said, “I hope Gustavo Petro knows how to run the country.”
Petro will have to eradicate corruption from the country. Colombians believe that the military and police officers are corrupt. Corruption is especially prominent in smaller areas.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also congratulated Petro. Reportedly, Petro said he wants to make changes to Colombia’s relations with the United States by seeking a renegotiation of a free trade agreement.
In another historic moment, environmental activist and feminist Francia Marquez will become Colombia's first black woman vice-president.
Political violence in Colombia
Political violence is prevalent in Colombia. Earlier, five presidential candidates were murdered in the country. Before the first round of this year's presidential election, many candidates received death threats on phones and on social media. Petro and Marquez also received death threats.
The armed strike carried out by the criminal group Clan del Golfo was another significant violent event in this year's elections. The group threatened, tortured, murdered, burned vehicles confined the population, and killed 14 people ahead of the election.
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