- Left-wing populist and former guerrilla fighter Gustavo Petro will be Colombia’s next president.
- In a runoff election in the presidential elections, he prevailed with 50.8 percent of the votes against the entrepreneur Rodolfo Hernandez with 46.9 percent. This was announced by the electoral office after counting almost all the votes.
- Colombia has elected a left-wing president for the first time.
“Today is a day of celebration for the people. They are to celebrate the first victory of the people. May so much suffering be absorbed in the joy that floods the heart of the homeland today,” Petro wrote on Twitter after the preliminary official election results were announced.
The former mayor of the capital Bogota and current senator, running for office for the third time, is Colombia’s first left-wing president. Petro wants to introduce economic and social change in the Andean country. He promises to stop developing new oil fields and fight inequality in the Andean country with free access to universities and pension reform.
Around 39 million Colombians were called to vote. According to official figures, around 20 million voted nationwide.