Colombia's First Left-Wing Government... Petro Wins Presidential Runoff with '51% of the Vote'

Gustavo Petro [Photo by EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Byung-hee] For the first time in history, a left-wing government has succeeded in taking power in Colombia.

On the 19th (local time), The New York Times reported that Gustavo Petro (62), the candidate of the left-wing coalition 'Historic Pact,' was elected in the Colombian presidential election.

With more than 97% of the runoff vote counted, candidate Petro is recording 50.57% of the vote. His competitor, businessman Rodolfo Hernandez (77), has 47.16% of the vote.

Petro will succeed current President Iv?n Duque and take office in August. He is the first left-wing president of Colombia in South America. Petro was a member of the leftist guerrilla group 'M-19' in his youth and is a current senator who previously served as mayor of the capital, Bogot?.

This is his third presidential bid. In his first attempt in 2010, he received 9% of the vote, placing fourth, and in the previous 2018 election, he advanced to the runoff. In that runoff, he lost to current President Iv?n Duque by a margin of 12 percentage points.

In this third attempt, Petro tapped into voters' desire for change by promising pension reform, reduction of the coal and oil industries, and increased taxes on the wealthy. In Colombia, where the poverty rate reaches 40%, unemployment is at 11%, and violent crime is increasing, public opinion demanding change is higher than ever.

Rodolfo Hernandez, a millionaire businessman nicknamed the 'Trump of Colombia,' ran on an anti-corruption platform and caused a surprise surge in the first round of voting, but the momentum did not carry into the runoff.

With Petro's victory, the political landscape in Latin America has clearly shifted to the left.

Since the end of 2018, governments in Mexico, Argentina, Peru, Chile, and others have changed from right-wing to left-wing.

In the upcoming Brazilian presidential election in October, left-wing candidates are also showing strength, raising the possibility that for the first time, all of the top six largest economies in Latin America could be governed by left-wing administrations.

Meanwhile, Petro's running mate, environmental and human rights activist Francia M?rquez, will become Colombia's first black female vice president.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.