he’s the primary left-wing president in Colombia

Colombia a brand new political cycle started this Sunday with the idea of Gustavo Petro as president. It is about the primary left chief in 200 years of the nation’s historical past and a former guerrilla who will command the Armed Forces that for many years fought unlawful teams.

“I swear to God and I promise the folks to faithfully respect the Structure and the legal guidelines of Colombia,” Petro, 62, stated earlier than the pinnacle of Congress within the Plaza de Bolívar heart and hundreds of people that accompanied him. in funding.

In an emotional gesture, the president was was sworn in by Senator María José Pizarro, the daughter of Carlos Pizarro, who was Petro’s companion within the guerilla and was killed in 1990 when he was a candidate for president and the intention to vote gave him 60%. The congresswoman, in tears, positioned the presidential sash on the brand new president and hugged him amidst the applause of these current.

As well as, limitations pinned a “dove of peace” to his go well withwhich symbolizes one of many essential actions that he’ll attempt to perform throughout his authorities: that of reaching “whole peace”.

There was one other second with a powerful symbolic weight: the primary act of the brand new president’s authorities was to order The Sword of the Liberator Simón Bolívar – a logo of his guerrilla and later political wrestle – ascended the stage the place the investiture ceremony was held.

Strictly talking, the request had already been transmitted to his predecessor, Iván Duque, who rejected the request. Now together with his investments, Petro turned that request into an order. “As president of Colombia, I ask the Army Home to carry the sword of Bolívar, an order of the favored mandate of this president,” he stated.

Simón Bolívar’s sword was stolen in January 1974 by M-19 within the first public act of city guerrilla warfare. It was owned by him for 17 years and handed over to the state in 1991 as a peace gesture to signal the tip of the confrontations. From that second it was saved in a vault of the Banco de la República, with out public entry, and in 2020 it was transferred to the Palacio de Nariño, the place the president resides.

Along with the sword, within the earlier hours Duque had rejected one other request for the ceremony: the presence of the peace dove sculpture created by instructor Fernando Botero for the signing of the peace settlement with the FARC.

A number of Latin American presidents traveled to be sworn in, among them Alberto Fernandez. The Argentine met together with his Colombian counterpart earlier than the swearing in, in Bogota. “I’ve reaffirmed my dedication to proceed supporting peace in your nation, we’d like an lively Colombia within the path of Latin American integration,” wrote Fernandez, in a photograph with Petro and the flags of the 2 nations within the background.

For Petro -who replaces Iván Duque- a brand new one a period marked by challenges What address growing violence that has claimed the lives of greater than 560 human rights defenders since 2016, dealing with the best inflation in 20 years and the seek for consensus in a divided nation.

Some sectors concern being affected by his goal to hold out reforms in agriculture, power manufacturing, the police, pensions and tax assortment. However there’s hope amongst his voters: Petro promised them a nation with much less inequality, which is able to assure the rights of all its residents – particularly probably the most weak – and prioritize the setting.

Along with Fernández, Gabriel Boriç (President of Chile), Guillermo Lasso (Ecuador), Mario Abdo Benítez (Paraguay), Luis Arce (Bolivia), Luis Abinader (Dominican Republic), Laurentino Cortizo (Panama), Rodrigo Chaves ( Costa Rica) and Xiomara Castro (Honduras).

The delegation of the US of America was led by the administrator of the US Company for Worldwide Improvement (USAID), Samantha Energy. King Felipe VI of Spain additionally attended.

Together with Petro’s swearing in, one other historic second occurred, with the idea of Francia Márquez as the primary African-American to carry the nationwide vice presidency.

Petro (Coalition of Historic Pact) turned the winner of Colombia’s presidential election defeating Rodolfo Hernandez, of the League of Anticorruption Leaders, within the second spherical, 50.44% to 47.31%. He had clearly dominated the primary spherical, with 40.34%, in opposition to 28.17% of his essential competitor and 23.94% of Federico Gutiérrez (Workforce Coalition for Colombia).

Greetings from different presidents for Gustavo Petro

“The world goes by way of a fancy time. All of the sister peoples of Latin America should keep united and supportive. My finest needs to Gustavo Petro, Francia Márquez and Colombia,” he stated. Alberto Fernandez after the idea in Bogotá.

A couple of hours in the past, after the assembly he had with Petro, he had emphasised: “The chances for brother nations and democratically elected governments to unite permit us to debate problems with widespread curiosity and goals to strengthen the mixing of Latin America.”

Within the distance joined Miguel Diaz-Canel, from Cuba. “I congratulate President Gustavo Petro (…) and want him success on this new part that begins after the victory achieved with nice fashionable assist”, he wrote on his Twitter profile.

“I ratify Cuba’s dedication to peace in Colombia,” he added.

Gustavo Petro’s challenges in Colombia

Though the nation has been in a post-conflict part for 5 years after the signing of the peace settlement between the State and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) -which was the oldest guerrilla group in Latin America-, the pact did. to not finish the violence.

Petro aspires obtain “full peace” which suggests bringing drug gangs – reminiscent of Clan del Golfo – to justice and resuming negotiations with the Nationwide Liberation Military (ELN), the final lively guerrilla within the nation.

Extra urgent is the problem of inflation, at a double-digit file in 22 years (10.21% per 12 months), alongside poverty ranges which can be the quickest rising within the area.

On Saturday, the day earlier than the inauguration, Petro accomplished the affirmation of his cupboard. Among the many most essential figures are Álvaro Leyva, international minister with a protracted conservative profession; economist José Antonio Ocampo, who involves the Ministry of Finance with the approval of economic markets and businessmen; legal Iván Velásquez Gómez, on protection; and thinker and environmentalist Irene Vélez, in Mining and Power.

With data from AP, EFE and AFP