The left will assume the presidency of Colombia for the first time in history, after the triumph obtained this Sunday (10) in the second round of the presidential elections, under the command of former guerrilla fighter and former mayor of Bogotá Gustavo Petro, leader of the Pacto Histórico coalition.
With 98,98% of polls counted, Petro obtained 19.185.671 votes, the equivalent of 50, 49% of the total. The rival, the independent populist Rodolfo Hernández, from the Anti-Corruption League of Governors, reached .468.781 (468 ,25%), according to the National Registry, the entity that organizes elections in the country.
Petro’s advantage over Hernández is 716.890 votes, which is equivalent to to 3,11%. The index is higher than what the polls of voting intention predicted, which point to a technical tie — some of them with less than a percentage point difference.
In this way, Petro, an economist from 50 years, he will succeed the current president of Colombia, Iván Duque, as of August 7, and will govern until 2026. The victory was celebrated on Twitter by the candidate of the left.
“Today is a holiday for the people. May they celebrate the first popular victory. May so many sufferings be cushioned in the joy that floods today the heart of the homeland. This victory for God and for the people and their history. Today is the day of the streets and squares”, declared Petro.
The mayor of Bogotá, Claudia López, was the first authority to react to the result. “We finally won! Congratulations to the new President of Colombia Gustavo Petro and the new Vice President of All Colombians Francia Márquez,” she said on Twitter.
