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won Gustavo Petro Ex-member of guerrilla group "M19" It later turned into a political party, in the June presidential election, defeating conservative parties that offered moderate changes to the market-friendly economy, but failed to connect with voters frustrated with growing poverty and violence against human rights leaders and environmental groups in rural areas.
Petro is part of a growing group of politicians The leftists and political outsiders who have won elections in Latin America since the outbreak of the pandemic, harming incumbent incumbents who have struggled with its economic consequences.
win over "former rebel" It was also exceptional for Colombia, where voters have historically been reluctant to support leftist politicians who have often been accused of leniency with crime or of allying with guerrilla groups.
A 2006 peace deal between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) diverted much of the voter focus away from violent conflicts in rural areas and prioritized problems such as poverty and corruption, boosting the popularity of left-wing parties in national elections.
Petro, 62, promised to tackle social and economic inequality in the country by boosting spending on poverty-reduction programs and increasing investment in rural areas.
He described US-led anti-drug policies, such as the eradication of illegal coca crops, as "big failure".
But he expressed his desire to work with Washington "On an equal footing"To build schemes to combat climate change or connect infrastructure to rural areas, many farmers say coca leaves are the only viable crop.
Petro also formed alliances with environmental activists during his presidential campaign and promised to turn Colombia into a "A global force for life" slow deforestation and take steps to reduce the country’s dependence on fossil fuels.
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won Gustavo Petro The former member of the guerrilla group M19, which later turned into a political party, won the presidential elections in June, defeating conservative parties that offered moderate changes in the market-friendly economy, but failed to connect with voters frustrated by increasing poverty and violence against human rights leaders and environmental groups. in rural areas.
Petro is part of a growing group of politicians The leftists and political outsiders who have won elections in Latin America since the outbreak of the pandemic, harming incumbent incumbents who have struggled with its economic consequences.
The “former rebel” victory was also exceptional for Colombia, where voters have historically been reluctant to support left-wing politicians who have often been accused of leniency with crime or of allying with guerrilla groups.
A 2006 peace deal between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) diverted much of the voter focus away from violent conflicts in rural areas and prioritized problems such as poverty and corruption, boosting the popularity of left-wing parties in national elections.
Petro, 62, promised to tackle social and economic inequality in the country by boosting spending on poverty-reduction programs and increasing investment in rural areas.
He described US-led anti-drug policies, such as the eradication of illegal coca crops, as a “big failure”.
But he said he wanted to work with Washington “on an equal footing” to build schemes to combat climate change or connect infrastructure to rural areas, where many farmers say coca leaves are the only viable crop.
Petro also formed alliances with environmental activists during his presidential campaign and promised to turn Colombia into a “global power for life” by slowing deforestation and taking steps to reduce the country’s dependence on fossil fuels.