Paradigm shift: The Hindu editorial on Colombia’s first leftist president

Gustavo Petro, a former guerrilla, wins Colombia’s presidential election The South American is one of the most decisive changes in the country’s modern history. Colombia has never in the past voted for the Left in power, in a war with leftist guerrillas for decades until a few years ago. In the early 2000s, as a wave of left-wing victories swept across South America, it remained a bastion of centrist and conservative politics. But Mr. Petro, armed with his promises to completely transform the country’s economy and governance, entered the fort and seized power. He won 50.4% of the vote in Sunday’s election against 47.3% of his rival Rodolfo Hernández. Several factors, including internal political changes and economic challenges, helped him to write history. In Colombia, where the decades-long civil war between the state and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) had a devastating effect on the public psyche, even mainstream left-wing politicians struggled to garner popular support. . But the FARC’s decision to lay down arms and join the political mainstream as part of a 2016 peace deal widened the scope of left-wing politics in the country. Mr. Petro was quick to mobilize this newly created momentum with an economic program that broke with the Bogota consensus. He called for “democratizing the land”, renegotiating free trade agreements that were counterproductive to the interests of Colombian farmers, expanding the country’s social security measures, taxing the wealthy more, and reducing Colombia’s reliance on fossil fuels. vowed to do so.

In a country that has an annual inflation rate of 10%, a youth unemployment rate of 20% and a poverty rate of 40%, Mr. Petro’s promises of transformation helped him to strike a chord with voters. Despite high economic growth, Colombia has one of the highest inequality rates in Latin America. While the civil war has ended, drug cartels continue to face serious security challenges. The road ahead is not going to be easy for Mr. Petro. True, he has the presidency, but the Colombian authority, which has ruled for decades, has a huge influence on the state and Congress. Mr Petro’s leftist faction has only 25 seats in the 188-member lower house. His promise to reduce the country’s reliance on fossil fuels and shift to renewable energy could trigger protests from the mighty oil industry, in addition to the economic impacts. His move to negotiate with drug cartels and end drug wars could spark strong US opposition. Washington will not sit idly by if Mr. Petro moves Colombia to the left, a cornerstone of America’s Latin American policy. Therefore, they must face challenges not only from their right-wing opponents but also from the most powerful country in the world. Mr Petro, however, must focus on current issues and try to unite a country that is suffering from civil strife, drug wars and economic inequality.