Colombia for the first time elected a leftist as its next president, but the narrow victory with only a three percentage point margin is a cue that a large portion of the South American country rejects the ambitious proposals of Gustavo Petro, who will have to consider their concerns and negotiate with a divided Congress to be able to govern, let alone deliver on promises.
Petro, in his third attempt to win the presidency, on Sunday defeated another anti-establishment candidate, real estate tycoon Rodolfo Hernández, in a runoff election that became an indictment of the centrist and right-leaning politics that have long dominated the South American country. Now, the former rebel-turned-president-elect faces a steep battle to carry out the changes supporters want to see as the nation struggles with rising inequality, inflation and violence.
