Colombia’s president-elect seeks unity after final vote
Duque will be youngest leader in more than a century; FARC peace deal at risk
BOGOTA — Ivan Duque of the right-wing Democratic Center party won Colombia’s presidential election on Sunday, claiming almost 54 percent of the vote in the runoff poll, the National Electoral Council said.
With over 99 percent of the votes counted, Duque’s leftwing rival, Gustavo Petro of the Humane Colombia movement, finished in second place, obtaining 41.8 percent.
When Duque takes office in August at age 42, he will be Colombia’s youngest president in more than a century and in his first remarks as president-elect he vowed to work tirelessly to heal divisions and govern on behalf of all Colombians. He also promised a frontal attack on corruption while addressing a surge in cocaine production that he called a threat to national security.
“This is the opportunity that we have been waiting for to turn the page on the politics of polarization, insults and venom,” Duque told supporters on Sunday night, joined by his young family.
The election was the first since outgoing President Juan Manuel Santos signed the 2016 peace agreement with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia and the race ultimately ended up being defined by the divisive accord.
Duque’s promise to heal the scars from five decades of bloody conflict will demand a quick response. The FARC rebels who demobilized under the accord are struggling to reinsert themselves into civilian life in a nation where many people are hesitant to forgive. Vast swathes of remote territory remain under the control of violent drug mafias and residual rebel bands.
Duque, who only entered politics in 2014 after being lured back to Colombia by former president Alvaro Uribe from a cozy life in Washington, in his victory speech repeated pledges made on the campaign trail to roll back benefits in the peace accord for top rebel commanders behind atrocities.
He and running mate Marta Lucia Ramirez, who will become Colombia’s first female vice-president, have promised to make changes in the accord but Duque also has vowed not to “shred it to pieces” as some of his hawkish allies have urged.
‘Important test’
“Undoubtedly, for the peace process, this is an important test,” said Patricia Munoz, a professor of political science at Javeriana University in Bogota.
Petro, a former guerrilla and mayor of Bogota, campaigned on a more social platform, vowing to tackle inequality.
He energized young voters and drew millions to public plazas with fiery speeches vowing to improve the lives of poor Colombians long neglected by the political elite. His more than 8 million votes marked the biggest success for a left-wing presidential contender ever in Colombia.
Petro took his loss in stride, refusing to call it a defeat. In a concession speech that at times sounded celebratory, he challenged Duque to break with his hard-line allies, and Uribe in particular.
While Petro won in Bogota, the rest of Colombia’s major cities sided with Duque, with Medellin, Cali, Bucaramanga and Cartagena all voting for the latter.
Duque also sent a message of support to the business community, saying he would promote the development of industry and favor small, medium and large entrepreneurs.
Duque campaigned on a pledge to rewrite the peace deal with FARC in order to jail its guerrilla leaders for their crimes.
Domestic and international analysts have highlighted that Duque has long looked to his political mentor, former President Alvaro Uribe. As president, the extent to which Duque aligns himself with Uribe’s policies will be crucial.
Uribe has long blasted the peace deal signed between President Santos and FARC, which was seen as being too lenient, especially for providing immunity to the guerrillas who laid down their arms.