Colombia elects its first leftist president, Gustavo Petro: “Today is a celebration for the people” | Abroad

The victory of Petro (62) is special. For a long time it was almost unthinkable in Colombia that a left-wing candidate would have a chance at the presidency. “Today is a celebration for the people,” Petro wrote on Twitter. “Let them celebrate this first people’s victory.”

Hernández has now admitted his loss. “I hope Mr. Gustavo Petro knows how to run the country and that he stays true to his anti-corruption campaign,” he said on Facebook Live.

“I called @PetroGustavo to congratulate him as President-elect of the Colombian people,” said outgoing conservative President Ivan Duque on Twitter. “We have agreed to meet in the coming days to begin a harmonious, institutional and transparent transition.”

Nearly 40 million voters in Colombia could choose on Sunday between Petro, who was a guerrilla fighter in the 1970s and 80s, and the wealthy entrepreneur Hernández, who became very popular thanks to social media, among other things. Because of his often bold statements and eccentric campaign style, Hernández is also known as the ‘Colombian Trump’.

In the South American country, left-wing rebel groups, such as the FARC, ELN and M-19, fought mainly right-wing governments for decades. Guerrilla movement M-19, of which Petro was once a member, gave up arms in 1990 and transformed itself into a political party.

Petro was then mayor of the Colombian capital Bogota for some time. He has pledged to fully implement the 2016 peace deal with the left-wing FARC rebels. He also wants to enter into new peace talks with the ELN rebels still active in parts of the country.

Petro has also vowed to make sweeping economic and social changes as president. It is especially popular among young people. But opponents accused him during the campaign of wanting to copy the economically troubled policies of the late ex-leader of neighboring Venezuela, Hugo Chávez. Petro himself denies that.