Gustavo Petro made history by becoming the first leftist president in Colombia, a country traditionally ruled by political elites. He immediately promised to reach out to the opposition and carry out a fight against climate change that includes a dialogue with the United States on the high emissions of greenhouse gases.
In his first message as president-elect, the former guerrilla sought to allay fears about his future administration by assuring that “we are going to develop capitalism in Colombia, not because we adore it, but because we first have to overcome pre-modernity in Colombia, feudalism in Colombia , the new slavery”.
The man who during the campaign promised ambitious reforms in pensions, taxes, health and agriculture, said that “only on the basis of growing economically, of producing, is that we will also be able to redistribute.”
“The 10 million or so voters of Rodolfo Hernández are welcome in this government. We are not going to use power to destroy the opponent, “said Petro, who assured that during his mandate the opposition will always be welcome” to discuss Colombia’s problems.
Former guerrilla Gustavo Petro wins the presidential elections in Colombia
Petro called for a great national agreement that includes “not just those who have taken up arms, but that silent majority of peasants, indigenous people, women, and youth.”
Petro’s is the latest political victory for the left in Latin America, fueled by voters’ desire for change. Chile, Peru and Honduras have elected left-wing presidents in 2021, and in Brazil former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is leading the polls for this year’s presidential election.
In his youth Petro militated in the extinct guerrilla M-19. He laid down his arms in 1991, when the insurgent movement signed a peace agreement with the state. Petro promised that he will not expropriate assets, he will respect private property, religious beliefs and pensions.
In its first hundred days, Petro intends to focus its efforts on an emergency plan against hunger, promoting a vital income of half the minimum wage (128 dollars) for mothers who are heads of households, suspending fracking tests (a technique used to extract gas and oil from deep rocks) and forgive the credits of 10,000 young people in Icetex, the state entity that finances higher education.
Petro will also seek to promote a rapid energy transition, because it considers that Colombia must go from a “predatory economy” to one for “life”. During the campaign, he assured that he would not issue new oil exploitation licenses, which would hit an industry that represents almost 4% of the Gross Domestic Product.
The newly elected president is willing to resume diplomatic relations with Venezuela, broken since 2019 by Duque and Maduro. He would also make changes in relations with the United States seeking a renegotiation of the free trade agreement that both nations signed a decade ago and new solutions in the fight against drug trafficking.
Petro will find it difficult to keep his promises as he does not have a majority in Congress, which is key to carrying out the promised reforms.
