Colombia made history Sunday as voters elected former guerrilla member Gustavo Petro as the country’s first leftist president and environmental activist Francia Márquez Mina as the country’s first Black vice president. The pair, gaining over 50% of the vote, defeated right-wing real estate millionaire Rodolfo Hernández but will now face a major challenge to pass legislation in the conservative Congress, where they lack a majority. “The hurdle has been overcome by winning the election, but the main hurdle, the establishment, cannot be changed by the government; it has to be changed from the people, by the people,” says Manuel Rozental, Colombian physician, activist and grassroots organizer. We also speak with Colombia-based journalist Simone Bruno, who says Petro’s election could transform the politics and economy of Latin America.
This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
Democracy Now! | Radio Free (2022-06-21T12:16:09+00:00) Colombia Elects 1st Leftist President Gustavo Petro & 1st Black VP Francia Márquez. Can They Deliver?. Retrieved from https://www.radiofree.org/2022/06/21/colombia-elects-1st-leftist-president-gustavo-petro-1st-black-vp-francia-marquez-can-they-deliver/
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