BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) \u2014 Former rebel Gustavo Petro narrowly won a runoff election over a political outsider millionaire Sunday, ushering in a new era of politics for Colombia by becoming the country\u2019s first leftist president.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Petro, a senator in his third attempt to win the presidency, got 50.48% of the votes, while real estate magnate Rodolfo Hern\u00e1ndez had 47.26%, with almost all ballots counted, according to results released by election authorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Petro\u2019s victory underlined a drastic change in presidential politics for a country that has long marginalized the left for its perceived association with the armed conflict. Petro himself was once a rebel with the now-defunct M-19 movement and was granted amnesty after being jailed for his involvement with the group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cToday is a day of celebration for the people. Let them celebrate the first popular victory,\u201d Petro tweeted. \u201cMay so many sufferings be cushioned in the joy that today floods the heart of the Homeland.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Petro issued a call for unity during his victory speech and extended an olive branch to some of his harshest critics, saying all members of the opposition will be welcomed at the presidential palace \u201cto discuss the problems of Colombia.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFrom this government that is beginning there will never be political persecution or legal persecution, there will only be respect and dialogue,\u201d he said, adding that he will listen to not only those who have raised arms but also to \u201cthat silent majority of peasants, Indigenous people, women, youth.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Outgoing conservative President Iv\u00e1n Duque congratulated Petro shortly after results were announced, and Hern\u00e1ndez quickly conceded his defeat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI accept the result, as it should be, if we want our institutions to be firm,\u201d Hern\u00e1ndez said in a video on social media. \u201cI sincerely hope that this decision is beneficial for everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The vote came amid widespread discontent over rising inequality, inflation and violence \u2014 factors that led voters in the election\u2019s first round last month to turn their backs on long-governing centrist and right-leaning politicians and choose two outsiders in Latin America\u2019s third-most populous nation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Petro\u2019s showing was the latest leftist political victory in Latin America fueled by voters\u2019 desire for change. Chile, Peru and Honduras elected leftist presidents in 2021, and in Brazil, former President Luiz In\u00e1cio Lula da Silva is leading the polls for this year\u2019s presidential election.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat I do think it shows is that the strategy of fear, hate and stigmatization towards the left no longer works as a policy to win voters,\u201d said Elizabeth Dickinson, senior analyst for Colombia at the firm International Crisis Group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But the results were an immediate reason to fret for some voters whose closest reference to a leftist government is the troubled neighboring Venezuela.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe hope that Mr. Gustavo Petro complies with what was said in his government plan, that he leads this country to greatness, which we need so much, and that (he) ends corruption,\u201d said Karin Ardila Garc\u00eda, a Hern\u00e1ndez supporter in the north-central city of Bucaramanga. \u201cThat he does not lead to communism, to socialism, to a war where they continue to kill us in Colombia. … (H)e does not lead us to another Venezuela, Cuba, Argentina, Chile.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
About 21.6 million of the 39 million eligible voters cast a ballot Sunday. Abstentionism has been above 40% in every presidential election since 1990.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Petro, 62, will be officially declared winner after a formal count that will take a few days. Historically, the preliminary results have coincided with the final ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Several heads of state congratulated Petro on Sunday. So did a fierce critic, former President \u00c1lvaro Uribe, who remains a central figure in Colombia\u2019s politics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Polls ahead of the runoff had indicated Petro and Hern\u00e1ndez \u2014 both former mayors \u2014 were in a tight race since they topped four other candidates in the initial May 29 election. Neither got enough votes to win outright and headed into the runoff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Petro won 40% of the votes in the initial round and Hern\u00e1ndez 28%, but the difference quickly narrowed as Hern\u00e1ndez began to attract so-called anti-Petrista voters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Petro has proposed ambitious pension, tax, health and agricultural reforms and changes to how Colombia fights drug cartels and other armed groups. But he will have a tough time delivering on his promises as he does not have a majority in Congress, which is key to carrying out reforms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe people who do support him have very high hopes, and they are probably going to be disappointed pretty quickly when he can\u2019t move things right away,\u201d said Adam Isacson, an expert on Colombia at the Washington Office on Latin America think tank.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI think you might find a situation where he either has to strike some deals and give up a lot of his programs just to get some things passed or the whole country could be gridlocked,\u201d Isacson added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hern\u00e1ndez, who made his money in real estate, is not affiliated with any major political party and rejected alliances. His austere campaign, waged mostly on TikTok and other social media platforms, was self-financed and based mostly on a fight against corruption, which he blames for poverty and the loss of state resources that could be used on social programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Polls say most Colombians believe the country is heading in the wrong direction and disapprove of Duque, who was not eligible to seek reelection. The pandemic set back the country\u2019s anti-poverty efforts by at least a decade. Official figures show that 39% of Colombia\u2019s lived on less than $89 a month last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The rejection of politics as usual \u201cis a reflection of the fact that the people are fed up with the same people as always,\u201d said Nataly Amezquita, a 26-year-old civil engineer waiting to vote. \u201cWe have to create greater social change. Many people in the country aren\u2019t in the best condition.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But even the two outsider candidates left her cold. She said she would cast a blank ballot: \u201cI don\u2019t like either of the two candidates. … Neither of them seems like a good person to me.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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