Colombia has elected a former guerrilla fighter as president, making him the country’s first leftist leader. Gustavo Petro won a runoff election on Sunday against Rodolfo Hernández with 50.47% of the vote.
Petro, a senator, the former mayor of Bogota, and an ex-rebel fighter, defeated the right-wing construction magnate Rodolfo Hernández by a close margin of about 700,000 ballots.
The result marks a significant change for the country, which has been led by moderates and conservatives for decades, the BBC reports. Petro’s election followed similar left-wing victories in Peru, Chile, and Honduras.
On Sunday evening, Hernández, a millionaire real estate magnate who ran an unconventional campaign on TikTok and other social media platforms, conceded defeat, Fox News reports. Hernández, received 47.27% of the vote with nearly all ballots counted.
“I accept the results of this election,” Hernandez said. “I hope that Mr. Gustavo Petro knows how to run the country and is faithful to his discourse against corruption.”
Current President Ivan Duque promised to meet with Petro in the coming days to “initiate a harmonious, institutional and transparent transition.”
Petro will take office in July amid a slew of challenges, not least of which is growing discontent with inequality and rising living costs. Petro pledged during his campaign to fight inequality by providing free university education and by pushing for pension reforms and high taxes on unproductive lands. He also campaigned on the promise of inclusion and a plan to fight poverty.
In a somewhat unusual move for a country that derives much of its income from fossil fuels, Petro has pushed to phase out fossil fuel production and instead create revenue through increased tourism.
Petro will face an uphill battle bringing his ideas to fruition, as he faces a very fragmented congress composed of representatives of more than 12 different political parties.
“Given current levels of polarization and existing political, economic, social, and humanitarian crises, the Petro government will face significant challenges,” Prof. Arlene Tickner, an international relations lecturer at Bogota University, told the BBC.
Petro called for harmony during his victory speech. He extended an olive branch to some of his harshest critics, saying that all opposition members would be welcome “to discuss Colombia’s problems.”
Petro turned to social media to celebrate the election and promote unity and inclusion.
“This government that starts will not have political persecution; this is how we can build what a few days ago we called the Great National Accord,” he tweeted. “Today construction began with 11 million, but it must be built with more than 50 million Colombians.”
“This historic popular victory is for everyone,” President-elect Petro wrote on Twitter.
“Today is a party for the people,” the victorious candidate tweeted late Sunday night. “May the joy that today floods the heart of the homeland cushion so many sufferings.”
United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken congratulated the people of Colombia on making their voices heard in a free and fair election.
“We look forward to working with President-elect Petro to further strengthen the U.S.-Colombia relationship and move our countries forward,” he said.
Petro’s running mate is Vice President-elect Francia Marquez.
