Sunday’s primary election brought some good news for those of us hoping for real change in Colombia after four years of right-wing president Iván Duque, with the left-wing candidate Gustavo Petro winning the nomination of the Historic Pact coalition.
It seems like the strategy of the center and right-wing coalitions to paint the ex-rebel as dangerous and extreme fell flat, as he picked up the most votes and is favored to win the May 29th presidential election if he manages to avoid a runoff.
From the BBC article linked above:
Polls suggest that Mr Petro has a wide lead over the other candidates, with some suggesting he could get enough votes to win outright in the first round on 29 May.
Many Colombians say they are fed up with their elected leaders and the way the country has been run in recent years.
The country was rocked by weeks of anti-government protests last year, during which dozens of protesters died.
Many of those protesting said they were angry about high levels of inequality in Colombia, and some of them have been drawn to Mr Petro's campaign promise to redistribute wealth.
But his past as a member of the now-disbanded M-19 rebel left-wing group makes him unpalatable to voters who argue that many of Colombia's problems stem from the war different guerrilla groups have been waging against the state.