US President Joe Biden congratulated Colombia’s new leftist president, Gustavo Petro, on his election victory in a phone call Tuesday, the White House said.
Colombia’s first ever left-wing president Gustavo Petro, elected on Sunday, is a former guerrilla who spent two years in jail before turning to politics.
The surprise electoral surge of a man dubbed Colombia’s Donald Trump could scupper the left’s hopes of a historic takeover of the presidency in a race now between two anti-establishment candidates, analysts say.
Two former mayors — a leftist and an independent outsider — will fight it out for the Colombian presidency on June 19 after coming out tops in a first voting round Sunday.
Two former mayors — a leftist and a right-wing conservative — are projected to emerge as the last men standing in a high-stakes race for the Colombian presidency after a first round of voting on Sunday.
Every time Colombian leftist presidential candidate Gustavo Petro, who leads opinion polls, steps out in public the scene is striking: he is surrounded by a wall of nervous-looking bodyguards brandishing bullet-proof shields.