Armel Caracas, peace signatory, will be mayor of the largest municipality in Colombia
MADRID, 30 Oct. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The ruling party, Historical Pact, failed this Sunday in the local and regional elections in Colombia, facing a divided opposition in elections in which no party can be considered the great winner.
The Colombian president, Gustavo Petro, has obtained a symbolic defeat in the capital, Bogotá, where his candidate, Gustavo Bolívar, has come in third place, with 18.7 percent of the votes. The winner was Carlos Fernando Galán, of the New Liberalism Party, who swept 49 percent of the ballots; Behind him was Juan Daniel Oviedo, candidate for Con Todo Por Bogotá, who obtained 20 percent of the votes.
Galán, who thanked them for the victory, stated that it is a “strong and clear mandate” that “imposes on them a task that cannot be delegated: working day and night, in the streets, with the people” jointly between the local and central government. .
In Medellín, Federico ‘Fico’ Gutiérrez, candidate for Creo and supported by Centro Democrático, has won the polls since he made his candidacy official. Gutiérrez, who between 2016 and 2020 was already mayor of Medellín, has obtained more than 70 percent of the support.
The leader of the Revivamos Cali movement, Alehjandro Eder, is the elected mayor, after overcoming the favorite, Roberto Ortiz. While Alejandro Char, Cambio Radical candidate, will once again be mayor of Barranquilla for the third time, after being so between 2008-2011 and 2016-2019.
In 2022, Petro became the first left-wing president in the country and his party was the majority force in Congress. In these elections he has only maintained power in two governorates, Nariño and Magdalena. On this occasion, his coalition arrived divided on election day.
“Today the country went to the polls, regardless of the results, it is a day in which the Colombian people voted in peace and thinking about the future of the country, in a more supportive, fair and affectionate society, thinking about the world that we are going to leave to our children and grandchildren,” said Petro, who congratulated the leaders and elected representatives.
In this sense, he has shown his willingness to work “to articulate his campaign proposals” and build “together a country that combats corruption, injustice and confronts the climate change crisis.” “A new scenario is opening up. As president I will interact with all local leaders,” she remarked.
Colombians have elected more than 1,100 mayoralties and 32 governorships in elections in which 35 different political parties have participated, a historical record. Among the winners is the former guerrilla of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) Armel Caracas, signatory of the peace agreement, who will be the mayor of Cumaribo (Vichada), the largest municipality in Colombia.
