the left in pole position in the first round of the presidential election

by time news

With more than 40% of the vote, the former mayor of Bogota, Gustavo Petro, clearly came out on top, on Sunday May 29, in the first round of the presidential election. If he greatly improves his 2018 result (25%), he is not guaranteed to win in the second round in 3 weeks.

Historic result for the Colombian left

No celebration Sunday evening in the streets of Bogota, but a few honks in the main arteries as the clear lead of the former mayor of the city, Gustavo Petro, was confirmed on the evening of the first round. ” Peter won! shouts Daniel, lowering the window of his taxi. ” With Petro, we will finally have change, he assures. We are told that it will be Venezuela… But Colombia is already Venezuela! The price of a kilo of meat is the price of a day’s work! »

With 40.3% of the vote, Gustavo Petro, 62, a guerrilla in his youth before entering politics, succeeded where he failed in 2010 and 2018: winning the first round. This result puts the left at the gates of power, for the first time in the history of the Andean nation.

« It is the defeat of uribism “, rejoiced the candidate during his speech Sunday evening in front of his supporters gathered in a hotel in the capital. Because the outgoing power candidate, Federico Gutierrez, only came in third position. This failure marks the end of an era: that of the domination of one man, Álvaro Uribe, in power from 2002 to 2010, before playing a key role in the victory of his successors, Juan Manuel Santos (2010-2018) first, then Iván Duque (2018-2022).

The surprise Rodolfo Hernandez

While Federico Gutierrez had been Gustavo Petro’s main opponent since the start of the campaign, it is indeed an independent candidate, representing the “League of Anti-Corruption Rulers”, who will take part in the second round. Rodolfo Hernandez, 77, a successful businessman in construction, a career that earned him his nickname of “engineer”, has broken through in recent weeks, with a speech centered on the fight against corruption.

This right-wing man, who was mayor for three years of Bucaramanga, the fifth largest city in the country, embodies an alternative for conservative voters disappointed by the outgoing government, very largely discredited by its economic management and its attitude during the social movement of 2021.

Rodolfo Hernandez’s razor-sharp style – he famously slapped a city councilor when he was mayor while the cameras were watching – and his wealth have earned him frequent comparisons with Donald Trump. ” There is a big difference, notes, however, Vicente Torriijos, professor at the Superior School of War in Colombia. Donald Trump was the Republican Party candidate when he won. Rodolfo Hernandez is alone. He’s a real outsider, and that’s part of his success.”

A very uncertain second round

With 28% of the vote, Rodolfo Hernandez is clearly ahead of Gustavo Petro. But he can count on the support of Federico Gutierrez (23.9%), who announced on Sunday evening that he would vote for the millionaire. ” Gustavo Petro is in the lead, but his position is not comfortable, continues Vicente Torrijos. He has no voice reserve, he has no one to negotiate with. And Federico Gutierrez voters will vote en masse for his opponent on June 19 ».

→ REREAD. In Colombia, the left on the threshold of a historic victory

Gustavo Petro, who managed to unite the left in the first round, will face a union from the right in the second. Victorious on Sunday by proposing a historic change, he will strive, over the next three weeks, to demonstrate that he is the only one to propose a different path for Colombia. That the election of Rodolfo Hernandez, with a very vague program, including the fight against corruption, would in fact only be continuity.

This promise of renewal, in a country accustomed to conservatism, will also aim to convince abstainers from the first round to go to the polls for the second: if the participation rate was the highest on Sunday in the last twenty years, it remains lower at 55%.

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