Petro casts a ballot at a polling station in Bogotá on June 19 / Xinhua News Agency
Gustavo Petronas, the presidential candidate of the Colombian Left-Wing Campaign Alliance "Colombian Historical Convention Alliance", won the second round of voting in the presidential election held on June 19 local time, and received widespread praise in Latin American left-wing countries.
The President of Mexico could not hide his joy, playing the "Kambia" music, a symbol of Colombian culture, during the meeting at the National Palace, and the presidents or dignitaries of 11 other countries, including Venezuela and Chile, congratulated each other. The United States and Europe have also expressed hopes for closer relations with the new government.
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador at a media conference on the 20th / el universal
Left-wing governments in Latin America can hardly hide their joy and praise
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador was overflowing with joy at Petro's victory, saying at a media conference held at the National Palace on the 20th that "today we have come to listen to Cambia (the music of one of the representatives of Colombian cultural heritage) for Petro's victory. This makes us very happy, I can't hide it, I am very happy", and in the interval of the meeting played the masterpiece "Colored Short Skirt" of Margarita, known as the "Goddess of Kambia".
Lopez repeated a tweet calling Petro's victory "historic" and "today's victory could be the end of a curse and the dawn of those brothers and respectable people." Congratulations. López said "the most affectionate greetings to the Colombian people." They set an example", and the expectations for the Brazilian elections, "Imagine how happy we would be to imagine rio's carnival during the Brazilian elections." ”
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro tweeted that the will of the Colombian people had been heard, "I congratulate Gustavo Petro and Francia Márquez on their historic victories in the Colombian presidential elections." They stand up for democracy and peace. This sister country is about to usher in a new era."
Chilean President Bolic praised Petro's victory as "the joy of Latin America" and "we will work together for the unity of our continent in the challenges of a rapidly changing world." Let's move on! ”
Cuban President Díaz Canel expressed "fraternal congratulations" to Petro's "historic victory" on Twitter, saying that he was "willing to promote the development of bilateral relations for the benefit of the two peoples."
Bolivian President Luis Arce stressed on Twitter that with Petro's victory, "Latin American integration has been strengthened." "Congratulations to the Colombian people!"
Peruvian President Pedro Castillo congratulated Petro on his "historic victory in democracy". "We are united by a shared feeling dedicated to seeking collective, social and regional integration improvements for our people," he tweeted. Brother Gustavo, you will always have the support of Peru. ”
President Daniel Ortega of Nicaragua said: "We pay due respect and affection to your people, we salute your electoral victory, and we hope that "in our Caribbean region, we continue to consolidate a history that people expect and deserve".
Argentine President Fernandez congratulated Petro on his "joy" and "gained the trust of the Colombian people" on his victory. "His victory validated democracy and ensured the path to Latin American integration, at a time when maximum solidarity between fraternal peoples is needed."
Barnard President Ma Laurentino Cortiso posted "On behalf of Panama, I congratulate the President of Colombia" and hoped that Colombia, a brotherly country, would consolidate democracy.
Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso sent a telegram to Petro to congratulate him and hoped that he would work to strengthen the friendship and cooperation between the two countries.
Former President Lula, Brazil's popular candidate for this October's election, wrote that Petro's victory had further strengthened Latin America's progressive forces.
Honduran President Theomara Castro tweeted, "On behalf of the people of Honduras, I congratulate the brave people of Colombia on choosing the historic social change represented by today's President. ”
U.S. Secretary of State Blinken congratulated Petro on winning the Colombian presidential election/AFP
The United States and The EU look forward to strengthening relations with the new government
"Today is a people's holiday. May people celebrate the first universal victory. May so much suffering be alleviated by the joy that fills the heart of the motherland today. This victory is a victory for God and the people and for their history. Today is a day for streets and squares," Petro wrote on his Twitter post.
This is also why latin American left-wing countries are widely celebrated, with the Colombian left winning the presidential election for the first time. For the first left-wing president, the United States and Europe have expressed their desire to strengthen relations with him.
U.S. Secretary of State Blinken congratulated Petro on winning the presidential election on the 19th, and also congratulated "the Colombian people for expressing their voice in a free and fair presidential election." Blinken hopes to strengthen relations with the Petro administration in the future, saying in a statement, "We look forward to working with President-elect Petro to further deepen the relationship between the United States and Colombia and lead our country toward a better future." ”
Blinken also stressed that the two countries share common values and interests in democracy, security, economics and human rights, and claimed that cooperation between Washington and Bogotá would "improve" public health, the rule of law and the environment in the region.
The EU also congratulated Petro on his "unquestionable" victory in the Colombian election. Eu High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josép Borrelli congratulated Petro on his victory over the president on the 20th, saying on Twitter, "I congratulate Gustavo Petro on his election as colombia's next president. Colombia is a fundamental partner of the EU and wants to continue to strengthen our relations. ”
Borrelli then said that the elections were clean and normal, that in Colombia it had been "clear that the vote for political change and a more equal and inclusive society" and that "we have an electoral observation mission there that will publish its report, but I can already expect that they will be absolutely clean elections, completely normal and the results are unquestionable". Borelli said, "I extend my best wishes to the President-elect of Colombia and to the Colombian people for moving forward in a more equal and inclusive society. ”
Colombia wins president Petro (left)
Petro has a long way to go
Independent candidate Rudolf Hernandez, who entered the second round of voting with Petro, eventually accepted the defeat, writing on his Facebook post, "I sincerely hope that this decision they have made will be good for everyone and that Colombia is moving toward the changes that prevailed in the first round of voting." I hope Gustavo Petro knows how to lead the country, that he is faithful to his own speech against corruption, and that he does not deceive those who trust him. ”
Democratic governance, violence, poverty, inflation, peace agreements, pension system reform, Venezuelan immigration and the environment will be some of the challenges Petro will have to face when he takes office on August 7.
Born in 1960, Petro joined the Colombian Left Guerrillas and later formed a new political party in conjunction with other former partisan members, where he held positions as a senator, a member of the House of Representatives and the mayor of Bogotá. Petro ran for president twice in 2010 and 2018, and lost in the second round of voting in the 2018 election. In the partisan elections in March this year, Petro was elected as the presidential candidate of the left-wing campaign alliance "Colombian Historical Convention Union".
Petro was seen by the local media as a moderate left-wing politician. During his time as a senator, he criticized the links between right-wing forces and politicians; During his tenure as mayor of Bogotá, he promoted anti-corruption and public utilities. He advocated respecting the Constitution, guaranteeing the rights and interests of citizens, promoting society, promoting the status of women, and strengthening the protection of minorities and vulnerable groups. It advocates bridging domestic differences, continuing to advance the domestic peace process, committing to replacing the oil revenues that the current government relies on, such as developing tourism and green energy, and taxation, as well as improving the quality of life of the people.
Author: Sun Hua (Wen Wei Po correspondent in Mexico City)
Editor: Lu Shuwen