Petro triumphs in Colombia: the United States has stated that it wants to “strengthen” the relationship with Bogota

United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken congratulated Colombians on Sunday for the presidential elections won by left-wing militant Gustavo Petro and he wanted to “strengthen” the relationship with the future government of the South American country.

“We look forward to working with President-elect Petro further strengthen relations between the United States and Colombiaand lead our nations to a better future, ”Blinken said in a statement.

The head of US diplomacy also congratulated “the Colombian people for making their voices heard in free and fair presidential elections”.

He also noted it both countries share values ​​and interests in matters of democracy, security, economy and human rights, and stated that cooperation between Washington and Bogotá has made it possible to “improve” public health, the rule of law and the environment in the region.

Blinken met the outgoing president of Colombia, the conservative Iván Duque, in Washington on Wednesday, who during his tenure made several trips to the United States to strengthen relations with the North American country.

Historic triumph of the left in Colombia

The left will win the presidency of Colombia for the first time after the triumph achieved this Sunday in second round of elections for the former guerrilla and former mayor of Bogotá, Gustavo Petroof the Historical Pact coalition.

With 98.22% of the seats informed, Petro obtained 11,115,965 votes, or 50.51%, while his rival, the independent populist Rodolfo Hernández, of the League of Anticorruption Governors, achieved 10,391,504 votes (the 47.22%).

This was the third presidential campaign for Petro, a 62-year-old senator. He has proposed ambitious pension, tax, health and agricultural reforms and changes in the way Colombia fights cartels drugs and other armed groups.

In the first round of the last table, Petro had won 40% of the votes and Hernández 28%, but the difference quickly narrowed when Hernández started collecting anti-Petri votes.

Meanwhile, 77-year-old Hernández, who made his fortune in real estate, was not affiliated with any major political party and he had refused alliances. Its austere campaign, conducted primarily on TikTok and other social media platforms, was self-funded.

Their proposals are based on fight against corruption, which blames poverty and the loss of state resources which could be used for social programs. He wants to reduce the size of the government by eliminating several embassies and presidential offices, turning the presidential palace into a museum and reducing the use of the executive’s fleet of aircraft.

Source: EFE