drug policy in the hemisphere, of the so-called war on drugs. For the United States, it's going to be a challenge because Petro, as a senator, has been very critical of U.S. For example, Colombia will probably reestablish relations with Venezuela. RUEDA: Well, for some countries, it means something - (inaudible). So it's very hard in the current circumstances for incumbents to stay in power.įADEL: And how is the victory being seen in the region? But for example, in Ecuador, it was a conservative politician who was from the opposition who won the election. In some cases, it's leftist parties, like what happened in Peru and Chile last year. What you're seeing, you know, since the pandemic began across different countries of Latin America is that the opposition candidates are winning. So she represents not just Afro Colombian population but the social community leaders in rural areas of Colombia who work in very dangerous conditions and often face death threats.įADEL: Now, this election is another blow to establishment politics, not just in Colombia but in the region, right? She comes from a very small place in the western mountains of Colombia and, basically, started out as an activist against illegal gold mining. RUEDA: Well, she's a very interesting character because what she says is that she joined politics to save her life, to save her community. Colombia has its first Black vice president, Francia Marquez. And he's kind of like a Roosevelt from the 1930s - wants, like, a New Deal for Colombia.įADEL: Now, the night also brought another moment of history. And basically, the heart of his campaign is to get the government, the state more involved in issues like solving unemployment, education, health problems. I mean, Petro's campaign was focused on mentioning the social and economic inequalities and talking about how, you know, to decrease those. RUEDA: It was a basketball arena that's also used for concerts, and there were, like, 8,000 people there making a lot of noise.įADEL: And what can we expect from a Petro presidency? There are enormous expectations for this new leader of a country that's facing a lot of challenges, right? You know, you had the sense that it was something quite historic. RUEDA: Well, it was a pretty electric atmosphere. You were at Petro headquarters last night, right? What was it like? Good morning.įADEL: So a narrow victory after a closely fought race. INSKEEP: He declared a new history for Colombia last night.įADEL: But is Petro up to the challenge? Reporter Manuel Rueda joins us now from Bogota. PRESIDENT-ELECT GUSTAVO PETRO: (Speaking Spanish). Now he's considered Colombia's first leftist to be elected president. In his youth, he joined a guerrilla movement and was imprisoned for a time. He is a former mayor of the gigantic city of Bogota.
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