Leftist wins Colombia's presidency on vows of social, economic change

BOGOTA • Leftist Gustavo Petro, a former member of the M-19 guerilla movement who has vowed profound social and economic changes, has won Colombia's presidency, the first progressive to do so in the country's history.

He beat construction magnate Rodolfo Hernandez on Sunday with an unexpectedly wide margin of more than 700,000 votes in what analysts said was a show of Colombians' eagerness for efforts to combat deep inequality.

Mr Petro, a former mayor of capital Bogota and current senator, has pledged to fight inequality with free university education, pension reforms and high taxes on unproductive land.

He won 50.5 per cent to Mr Hernandez's 47.3 per cent.

Mr Petro's proposals - especially a ban on new oil projects - have startled some investors, though he has promised to respect current contracts.

His victory is likely to cause market jitters until his Cabinet is announced, analysts told Reuters on Sunday.

"From today, Colombia changes. Colombia is different," Mr Petro, 62, told cheering supporters in Bogota's concert arena.

"Change consists precisely in leaving behind sectarianism."

"It is not a time for hate. This government, which will begin on Aug 7, is a government of life," he added.

Mr Alejandro Forero, 40, who is unemployed and uses a wheelchair, cried as the results came in.

"Finally, thank God. I know he will be a good president and he will help those of us who are least privileged. This is going to change for the better," he said.

Thousands took to the streets in Bogota to celebrate, with some dancing near its largest polling place under intermittent rain.

This campaign was Mr Petro's third presidential bid and his victory adds the Andean nation to a list of Latin American countries that have elected progressives in recent years.

Mr Petro's victory showed that people in Colombia - where nearly half of the population lives in some form of poverty - are eager to fight inequality, said Ms Daniela Cuellar of FTI Consulting.

"What the Colombian population demonstrated today is that they are seeking a government focused on key social issues," she said.

"Colombia's longstanding ailments of inequality, which were exacerbated by Covid-19, have contributed to the electorate seeking a shift."

But a fragmented Congress, where a dozen parties have seats, will act as a check on Mr Petro's proposals.

"Colombia's institutional strength and rule of law appear sufficiently robust for the country to maintain economic stability," Ms Cuellar said.

"Moreover, campaigning is not governing. Petro's policies will be more moderate.

"Even if he tries to pass radical reforms, he does not have the congressional support to implement them," she added.

Mr Petro said he was tortured by the military when he was detained for his involvement with the guerillas, and his win had high-ranking officers in the armed forces bracing themselves for change.

His running mate Francia Marquez, a single mother and former housekeeper, will be the country's first Afro-Colombian woman vice-president.

Security guard Pedro Vargas, 48, who did not usually vote, said in Bogota on Sunday morning: "Today I'm voting for my daughter.

"She turned 15 two weeks ago and asked for just one gift - that I vote for Petro.

"I hope this man fulfils the hopes of my daughter. She has a lot of faith in his promises."

REUTERS