History was made in Colombia. A presidential ticket with a message of social justice and equality will govern the country for the next four years. An Afro-descendant woman was elected Vice President. Against many predictions, the electoral process took place largely peacefully, with President Iván Duque and fellow candidate Rodolfo Hernández quickly congratulating President elect Gustavo Petro and Vice President elect Francia Márquez, who won by a small but clear margin. In a country with a long history of tragic political violence and deep polarization, this should not be underestimated.
But the election marks only the beginning. Time for celebration will undoubtedly be cut short by the monumental human rights, ethnic rights, and humanitarian crises facing the South American nation.
During their arduous campaign, and at their first speech after results were announced, the President and Vice-President elect spoke about the need to prioritize peace, equality, social justice and environmental protection.
They committed to a “real change”.
Commitment is an important step but, for change to actually happen, polarization will need to give way to willingness to work towards a common goal, one that includes the peace, equality and justice often spoken about that the country desperately needs. Coalition building and conflict resolution are also required. These will not be easy, but are essential goals to, at least, work towards.
Support beyond Colombia, including from the United States, will be essential.
President Joe Biden has already spoken about the importance of Colombia as an ally in the region. So much so that, on more than one occasion, he referred to the country as “the keystone of U.S. policy in Latin America and the Caribbean.” It should come as no surprise, then, that the United States is the greatest contributor of foreign aid to its close friend.
But friendships can at times be problematic. Over recent years, the camaraderie between Presidents Biden and Duque led to the U.S. government failing to push hard enough for justice for killings of activists, for police brutality, for military espionage of citizens, and for other abuses of human rights and ethnic rights Colombia was failing to punish, or even effectively investigate.
Can things change now?
Read the full analysis here.
