Sunday, June 17 marked the second round of the Colombian elections and the outcome went largely as expected: Iván Duque, the right-wing frontrunner, won handedly over his socialist opponent, Gustavo Petro, by a margin of 54 to 41 percent (the remaining 5 percent voted “en blanco”—in protest).
“With humility, I want to say to the Colombian people that I am going to devote all my energy to uniting the country—no more divisions. For me this is very important,” said Duque. “I want to be the president that gives the same love to those who voted for me and to those who didn’t. I’m not going to govern with hate. Vengeance or reprisals don’t exist in my heart or mind. It’s about looking to the future for the well-being of all Colombians.”
A nationwide “dry law” meant that alcohol was banned in Colombia from Saturday night until the following Monday morning. Even Father’s Day, which was supposed to take place on that same Sunday, was pushed back a week. Clearly, the government intended to limit any possible distractions for one of the most important elections in Colombia’s recent history. And they were successful: Colombia experienced another relatively high voter turnout during the second round of elections, with the 53 percent of the population voting in the second round, the highest turnout since 1998.
As the first socialist candidate in the history of Colombia, few gave Petro a reasonable chance to win. Duque, shielded by the traditional political machinery that has governed Colombia for the past hundred years, held a sizable advantage in campaign financing and media coverage. Also working against Petro was his former status as a member of the M19 guerilla group and his previous support of former Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.
However, just the mere fact that Petro made the second round of elections is notable considering Colombia’s recent history. Carlos Pizaro Leongómez and Luis Carlos Galán, both recent candidates campaigning behind progress and change, were assassinated before being able to appear in elections.
“We scared them so much that they joined together. They had to gather all the economic power, the boundaries of law, traditional politicking, the machinery, the fear, the lies, and still we got eight million of the votes,” said Petro, after conceding defeat. “Colombia Humana lives. It’s there. It has triumphed and we have one more step to go: to enter the Palace of Nariño and some day we will do that.”
Duque, who at 41 is the youngest president-elect in Colombian history, is due to officially take office on Aug. 7 of this year. So what does a Duque-led administration mean for Colombia?
One of the main issues behind the first Colombian election was what to do with the various guerrilla groups who have just started being assimilated into Colombian society, in particular, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia—People’s Army (FARC). A fragile peace has been put in place from outgoing President Juan Manuel Santos, and Duque campaigned heavily behind a plan to restructure the peace agreement in place.
“We have told the Colombian people that we aren’t going to shred the agreements, but we are going to make modifications so the peace shines” said Duque. “Peace means that we can turn the page. Today, we are all friends who want peace and it should be a peace that permits the guerillas a way to normalize themselves to public life. The peace that we long for needs corrections so that the victims can be in the center of a process that guarantees truth, justice, reparation, and no repetition.”
Duque campaigned largely behind a pro-business, neoliberal ticket. His nomination was backed by the Trump administration.
“Today I received a call from the president of the United States where he congratulated us for the election result and also gave his commitment to support our agendas of security, of justice, our head-on fight against narco trafficking, and our agenda of entrepreneurship and equity,” Duque added.
Duque is expected to back U.S. anti-drug policies in the region. Included in this strategy is the aerial spraying of pesticides (which are banned under the current law) over known coca growing regions and an increased policy of removing coca plantations.
While the people have chosen a new leader in a decisive election, it’s a critical moment for Colombia and the path forward seems far from clear.