Colombia’s Frontrunner Plans Shift in Ties With U.S.

Date: 30 May 2022 - 21:33

News ID: ۱۰۳۱۸۰

BOGOTA (Reuters) -- Gustavo Petro, who topped voting tallies with 40.8% in Colombia’s first round of presidential elections on Sunday, has said his political awakening came when he watched his father weep over the death of Argentinian revolutionary Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara.
The 62-year-old senator and former mayor, who was part of the M-19 guerrilla group in his youth, hopes to sway millions in a June second round to become Colombia’s first leftist leader in decades.
Petro, who is running for president for the third time, has rejected populist characterizations of him by critics and attracted support on his generous social spending promises.
His potential administration “is not a minority oligarchy governing Colombia, it’s a multicolor democracy,” Petro told a recent rally. “We cannot allow it to slip between our fingers.”
Standing between Petro and the presidency is eccentric business magnate Rodolfo Hernandez, who unexpectedly took 28.2% of votes on Sunday.
Hernandez, who already has the backing of third-place candidate Federico Gutierrez and probably many of his supporters, will likely be a tough challenger for Petro.
Surveys ahead of the first round showed the two men just points apart in a second vote.
Petro first gained national recognition with impassioned congressional speeches about corruption and violence committed by right-wing paramilitary groups and their political allies.
The candidate wants to hike taxes on owners of large tracts of unproductive land and begin to wean Colombia off income from oil and coal, which he has described as poisons comparable to cocaine, perhaps Colombia’s top illegal export.
His 2011 election as mayor of capital Bogota was seen by many as proof that rebel movements like the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) could transition to politics.
The FARC laid down their arms under a 2016 peace deal. Petro has said he will fully implement that accord if elected and seek the demobilization of the still-active ELN rebels.
Petro, a father of six, has also pledged low-cost loans for small businesses, free public university education and a redistribution of pensions. He also plans a shift in Colombia’s relationship with top ally the United States, away from anti-narcotics policy and toward the fight against climate change.