Presidential elections in Colombia: a contest for the vote against the system will begin

The historic but bitter victory of the left and the entry into the game of a broken millionaire paved the way for the presidential runoff in Colombia. It was an unexpected duel for the anti-system vote at the expense of traditional forces.

Former guerrilla fighter and leftist senator Gustavo Petro won the first round on Sunday with 8.5 million votes, equivalent to 40.3% of the vote, and on June 19 he will face engineer Rodolfo Hernández (28, 5% ), former mayor of Bucaramanga and an ideologically indecipherable tycoon who converted the right to fight for power.

there are speeches diametrically opposite, the candidates defeated the conservative and liberal elites already ruled for two centuries the country and will try to take advantage of the Colombians ’disapproval of the ruling class.

The pandemic, which has caused massive protests, increased violence and corruption, has plagued (39%) the country with 50 million inhabitants. vote with renewed motivation after four years of the infamous right-wing government of Ivan Duque.

More than 21 million voters participated in a day that went out a slap in the face for correct and at traditional partieswas relegated for the first time in the first presidential round.

A country in the process of change

The historical elite are “losing ground” and have “a changing country”reviewed Eugénie Richard, professor at Externado University.

Petro (62 years old) and Hernández (77) came into the second round wrapped in a desire for change and rejection of corruption.

For analyst Alejo Vargas, candidacies against the ruling class have succeeded in sectors of society that “dislike political parties.”

Conservatives and liberals “allied with the Duque government”, which came to the presidency in 2018 promoted by former right-wing president Álvaro Uribe (2002-2010), “were defeated,” Petro celebrated. Involved in the problem of law, Uribe has stopped being a great political figure of Colombia after two decades of protagonism.

Using the kitchen as a backdrop and through social networks where he is very active, Hernández celebrated that “they have lost the bundles that they believe will govern forever.”

Now, the former guerrilla campaign will return to the circle at get approximately two million additional votes.

“You have to build a campaign aimed at the youth of the town who came out to protest in recent years, as (Gabriel) Boric did in Chile, “said Alexander Gamba, professor in the Faculty of Sociology at the Universidad Santo Tomás, highlighting the “low participation” of those under 25 years of age in the election on Sunday.

For Gamba, the rest of the campaign Petro had to change his speech to achieve a wider call:

“He needs to stop saying he is the anti-elite candidate and show himself as someone who can defend democracy, because many of Rodolfo’s positions they are openly undemocratic“, added the sociologist.

The outsider of this contest has raised criticism for macho positions against the political participation of women or their anti-immigrant discourse about Venezuelans.

“Support from home. The woman does not want to be involved in government“, she said in recent days while referring to the role of the first women.

Always opposite Uribe and Duque, Petro focused his campaign on pointing out the “continuism” inherent in Gutiérrez, given the polls as the second favorite.

But now, before Hernández, he will have “the challenge of recreating his entire narrative, which was explicitly taught to Federico Gutiérrez, who says‘ he is the candidate of Uribismo, I am the candidate of change, ’” Richard added.

“This whole narrative has weakened” because Hernández “is also not a traditional man of politics,” he maintains.

An “uncomfortable” candidate

A source from Petro’s campaign before the first round admitted that the former mayor of Bucaramanga would be the “most uncomfortable rival” in his plans.

According to surveys by the firm Invamer, Hernández is getting supporters for the ballot against Petroto the point with almost 47% of the vote for civil engineer and 50% for congressman, which until a week ago seemed solid in his move to the presidency.

Vargas predicts a “scenario similar to four years ago”, when Duke met the rejection and fear of Petro and won in the second round.

“Rodolfo’s vote was added [Hernández] and to Frederick [Gutiérrez] they already have 11 million ”, more than the 8.5 million that Petro got on Sunday, he expects.

By Juan Sebastian Serrano and David Salazar, AFP

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