“Let us celebrate the first popular victory. May so much suffering soften to the joy that today floods the heart of the homeland,” Petros wrote on Twitter in a celebration on Sunday night. Outgoing Colombian President Ivan Duce said he had called Peter to congratulate him on his victory and that “they agreed to meet in the coming days to begin a harmonious, institutional and transparent transition”. Prior to his victory on Sunday, Petros, 62, had already seen two failed presidential candidates in 2010 and 2018, but ultimately failed to win the support of the majority of the country that still saw him as a radical left-wing outsider – no. small achievement for a politician who wants to win the hearts of an electorate in one of the most conservative countries in South America. For his third campaign, Petros promised to change the status quo, as did his opponent in the second round, Hernandez. Both candidates sought to exploit how many Colombians are tired of right-wing President Iván Duque – a leader whose tenure has been determined by the handling of police behavior, inequality and clashes between organized crime groups. Peter’s party and allies were already the largest bloc in the Senate – although they do not control a majority of seats. Petro’s support can be attributed in part to the deteriorating socio-economic situation in Colombia, including deteriorating living conditions, which have been exacerbated by the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and the impact of the war in Ukraine. While Colombia has seen impressive economic growth in recent years, inequality rates remain among the highest in the world, with almost half of Colombians saying the economy is heading in the wrong direction, according to a recent Gallup poll. Peter has historically campaigned for higher corporate taxes and public subsidies for the working class and the poor, a tactic that could help him attract more people from this demographic to his camp.
A checkered past
Born in the provincial town of Ciénaga de Oro in northern Colombia, Petro spent his youth in the ranks of a left-wing guerrilla movement, the April 19 Movement (M19) — which was founded to protest allegations of fraud in the 1970 elections. The group was part of a so-called second wave of guerrilla movements in the country that swept the region in the 1970s under the influence of the Cuban Revolution. The M19 has been linked to illegal activity – including alleged ransom kidnappings – but Peter says he carried out legitimate activities aimed at mobilizing people to resist what he called a “false democracy”, even as a Zipaquirá town councilor. . Petros was arrested by police in 1985 for concealing weapons. Shortly afterwards, the M19 launched an attack to occupy the Bogota Supreme Court building, killing at least 98 people, including 12 judges (11 still missing). Petros denies that he took part in the attack, which took place while he was behind bars. When Peter was released from prison in 1987, after 18 months in military prison, his ideological outlook had changed. He said time helped him realize that an armed revolution was not the best strategy to gain popular support. Two years later, the M19 began peace talks with the Colombian state, with Petro ready to fight the system from within.
Steady campaign
Since losing the 2018 election, Petro has steadily sought to allay fears that his economic plan – which also calls for a halt to fossil fuel exploration and the renegotiation of international trade agreements – is “too radical” for Colombia. It has since been surrounded by more traditional politicians who could build bridges with the status quo. Now, he presents himself as a new type of progressive. In April, he signed a pledge not to expropriate any private land if elected. He has also nominated a moderate to be his finance minister and has sought to forge international ties with new progressives, such as the Progressive Congress of the United States, instead of traditional left-wing leaders such as Bolivia’s Evo Morales. Critics have said he is overly intellectual and detached – if not completely meticulous – with his own campaign team calling him “Petroxplainer”, given his tendency to give lectures. To address this, he has campaigned in some of the poorest parts of the country, where he talks to locals in conversations that are streamed on Instagram. Peter betrayed Colombians to believe in him as a sophisticated politician, telling CNN that he had succeeded in successfully combining his revolutionary zeal with practical public administration. Then the former guerrilla – whose name Aureliano Buendia comes from the classic magic realism of author Gabriel Garcia Marquez, One Hundred Years of Solitude – hopes to spark a scientific revolution in Colombia, asking economists to consider his proposals. “Magical realism comes from the heart while my scientific propositions are from the brain. To rule you need both,” he said. The report was contributed by CNN’s Michelle Velez.
