‘Surprise’ election result poses new challenges for Colombia’s left Ana Cristina Carvalhaes
Having supported Ivan Cepeda as the candidate to succeed Colombian President Gustavo Petro, most left-wing and democratic Latin Americans were not surprised by the meteoric rise of a Javier Milei-style far-right candidate in the final weeks of the presidential campaign. Libertarian lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella not only managed to rapidly rise in the polls, but got through to the second round just ahead of Cepeda, a reserved university philosophy lecturer and human rights defender. Cepeda was preselected by Petro’s Pacto Histórico (Historic Pact) to preside over a second term of centre-left progressive government... ... A left-wing victory in the second round vote on June 21 will be no easy feat, although the more experienced Pacto members and leaders believe Cepeda can win, provided that: (1) problems with vote monitoring are rectified, and communication and legal work on social networks and online platforms is strengthened; (2) as Cepeda said on the night of the first-round vote, even more young people are mobilise to reduce abstention; and (3) new key endorsements are secured. Cepeda will have to secure new votes from supporters of centrist former Medellín mayor Sergio Fajardo, who received 1 million votes in the 2025 primaries; officially negotiate with the Partido Liberal; and develop a strategy to win over CD sectors. Indeed, Valencia’s running mate, Juan Daniel Oviedo, has already declared he will not support or vote for de la Espriella. The battle is not over. Young people have already begun to take to the streets in Bogotá. An exciting second half is still to come. The clashes over the next 20 days in the streets and workplaces, as well as on social media, will not only determine Colombia’s next president — a neo-fascist or progressive — but also, to a large extent, the balance of forces in South America. The second round will be a precursor to Brazil’s November elections and is of central importance to expanding Trump’s “shield” on the continent... Read full article at https://links.org.au/surprise-election-result-poses-new-challenges-colombias-left -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Groups.io Links: You receive all messages sent to this group. View/Reply Online (#41931): https://groups.io/g/marxmail/message/41931 Mute This Topic: https://groups.io/mt/119653697/21656 -=-=- POSTING RULES & NOTES #1 YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. #2 This mail-list, like most, is publicly & permanently archived. #3 Subscribe and post under an alias if #2 is a concern. #4 Do not exceed five posts a day. -=-=- Group Owner: [email protected] Unsubscribe: https://groups.io/g/marxmail/leave/13617172/21656/1316126222/xyzzy [[email protected]] -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
