In Colombia, a former guerrilla becomes president. Elected on June 19, by a narrow majority, Gustavo Petro takes up his duties as head of state in Bogota this Sunday. Since its independence 200 years ago, Colombia has been governed on the right. The social inequalities are great there, the mafias and the powerful armed groups, in other words that the task of the new president promises to be difficult.
Gustavo Petro has made total peace the priority of his government. Total peace means demobilizing the country’s armed groups and ending the violence. After the historic agreements of September 2016the FARC, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, have abandoned the armed struggle. But there are still several guerrillas like that of the ELN, to whom Gustavo Petro offered to negotiate peace, and groups of combatants who did not agree to surrender. Not to mention the paramilitary and drug-trafficking groups like the famous Clan del golfo. The issue is essential for the poor and rural regions of the country, reports our correspondent in Bogota, Marie-Eve Detoeuf.
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Poverty also feeds violence. To put an end to it, we must put in place social reforms and a tax reform to finance them. Gustavo Petro promised to tax the 4,000 personalities and companies the most rich. The new president has also promised to set his country on the path to an ambitious energy transition. Colombia exports oil and coal, which could help finance its electoral promises.
Gustavo Petro will also have to meet the expectations of the demonstrators who mobilized last year against a tax reform project, eventually abandoned, against corruption and to demand social reforms. But the 10% inflation, unemployment (officially 11%) and 39% poverty complicate the task.
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In summary, the new President, elected in Junehas his work cut out for him. Gustavo Petro knows he needs allies and he played the opening. His call for national unity has been heard. He will have a large majority in Congress at the start of his term. But this majority is fragile.
First big question. Will the economic elites and the army play the game of change? Second big question: will Petro succeed in maintaining the unity of his own camp which, today, goes from the center to the extreme left? In short, the challenges are immense.
(and with agencies)