Dear Editor,
PERMIT me space in your newspaper to offer personal congratulations to President Gustavo Petro and his esteemed Vice-President, Francia Marquez on their historic victory in the 2022 Colombian presidential elections and now their ascendancy to the esteemed offices.
President Petro aged 62, now holds the distinction of being the first leftist President in the history of Colombia and brings with him a much-needed breath of fresh air. The expectations of his presidency are huge, given the fact that he has promised a whole lot during the election campaign. Not being a member of the traditional right-leaning political establishment and not being one of the traditional families that have had a say in the country’s governance, he will have lots of detractors and persons waiting for him to fail.
To counter this, he has already started reaching out to political allies and members of the opposition, looking to bridge the gap which normally exists after a new government takes its seat. His greatest example of not being afraid to go a new route is the selection of his running mate and now Vice- President, Miss Francia Marquez. VP Marquez is young (40 years old), female, of Afro-Colombian descent and an activist by nature. Never before has Colombia had a senior political figure from the Afro-Colombian population and this is only the second female Vice-President ever in its history. The hard work now begins for both these leaders.
The attendance of no less than nine Latin American leaders at the swearing-in ceremony displays the importance, reach and expectations that not only Colombia, but all of Latin America have for his presidency. No longer is the swearing-in ceremony just for a couple hundred VIPs, but all of Colombia will be represented. Marginalised groups such as the Afro-Colombian population; the Indigenous Colombian population; former guerilla leaders; the many Social Groups and the LGBTQ+ population all have representatives present. President Petro has been supported by key Latin American leaders both past and present such as Andre Manuel Lopes Obrador, Rafael Correa, Jose Mujica and Jose Luis Rodrigues Zapatero, to name a few.
President Petro has promised to re-open trade with neighbour Venezuela, even though he may not see eye to eye with President Maduro nor share his economic policies. A key ally and friend of former Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, President Petro, a former guerilla fighter himself and a qualified economist, believes that for Colombia, going “green” is the way. A key promise is to focus on climate change and he plans to end fossil-fuel exploration in Colombia as a way of reducing future greenhouse gas emissions. The promotion of green energy over fossil fuels will be a key tenet of his government’s policies. Right-leaning Colombian politicians have argued that he will go the way of Venezuela given his proposed policies with expropriations of businesses and properties soon to follow. However, to counter this in the run up to elections, President Petro signed a public document promising no expropriations of private properties or businesses if elected.
He did promise however, to increase taxation of the 4,000 richest Colombians in order to fund social programmes for the less fortunate. In his own words, “Venezuela’s mistake was linking its social programmes to oil revenues” and “it’s [sic] over dependence on oil alone.” Colombia under his watch will not go down that road. The establishment of a Ministry of Equality will be spearheading this fight of his for reducing inequality amongst Colombians.
Perhaps the trump card and main reason for his victory at the polls was the promise to tackle corruption. For far too long Colombian politicians have been accused of being too cozy with businessmen and guerilla groups from which they have received illicit funding for favours. President Petro will be seriously looking at getting rid of corruption and cleaning up the system. Strengthening of the country’s judicial and constitutional systems and maintaining their independence from those who govern will be paramount.
Investments in agriculture, accessibility to water resources, public education and research, health care reform of the private healthcare system and tax reforms are some of the other key areas to be looked at. In addition, the growth of legal marijuana in place of the illegal cocaine trade, women’s rights and rights of the LGBTQ+ community ( in a predominantly Catholic country) are areas for which key proposals will be made to address underlying issues.
All of these promises will not be easy to resolve, nor will the issues be addressed immediately. The country and its economy will need to be restarted post-COVID-19 and the competition for resources for the various programmes will be intense. President Petro does have the majority of the populace on his side and support will be abundant. It is up to him to make the most of the current atmosphere and momentum of his election.
Guyana and the rest of Latin America and the Caribbean will be paying key attention to Colombia and its developments under the presidency of President Petro. I am sure that the current government will be looking at areas of bilateral trade and cooperation in various areas such as health, security and foreign relations to name a few. The fight on corruption will also be closely watched and once successful, key measures and policies could be adopted for our own national use.
On Tuesday, another country, Kenya, will go to the polls. The top issue for the electorate is “corruption.” Both major candidates have planned to fight this huge issue if given the chance to lead. Only time will tell. Maybe, just maybe President Petro will lead the way for others to follow. He has already been the first of many things. The world is watching.
Felicidades al Presidente Petro y a todo los Colombianos!

Dr Mark France
ANUG Executive