Colombia

By: Tamarai Gustavo Petro and Francia Marquez of the Historic Pact Coalition made history by winning the elections in Colombia on June 19, 2022 and were elected the President and Vice-President. Rodolfo Hernandez, the opposition candidate, lost by more than 700,000 votes. When the results were announced, Francia Marquez said, "After 214 years we finally have a government of the people - a people’s government, a government of people with calloused hands, a government of ordinary people." The Historic Pact Coalition was formed in February 2021 and as the name signifies it is a coalition of political parties and social movements like Humane Colombia, Patriotic Union formed by the Communist Party, The Commons (a political party founded by the former members of Revolutionary Armed Fo...

Two regional trade union officials were killed in southern Colombia in mid-October -.Ferney Morales and Rigo Alape were attacked in a municipality of Putumayo, apparently being forced by armed assailants to leave a community meeting before being murdered. What was a poignant tragedy is in danger of becoming a commonplace in a country still beset by right-wing paramilitary violence. The two men were organisers for the FENSUAGRO agricultural trade union, and prominent members of the regional ASTRACAM peasant farmers’ association. FENSUAGRO is the most ruthlessly targeted trade union in Colombia, having had close to 40 members killed since a peace agreement was signed between the government and guerrillas of the left-wing Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) in 2016. More...

Will the new government be allowed to implement its social programmes to address the damage from decades of US-backed terrorism and war? Lalkar writers Under new legislation, young people in Colombia will have the opportunity of carrying out ‘social service for peace’ as an alternative to military service. Alongside agricultural reforms and measures aimed at redressing rampant inequality, this is one of the measures the new government hopes will be able to transform the country after decades of US-inspired fratricide. But will Uncle Sam step aside for these people-centred reforms to take effect? And will Colombia’s traditionally imperialist-allied armed forces keep the line? Two regional trade union officials were killed in southern Colombia in mid-October – Ferney Mora...

A far-right hundred-millionaire real estate mogul who called himself a “follower” of Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler, Rodolfo Hernández, won second place in round one of Colombia’s presidential elections. He will compete against center-left candidate Gustavo Petro in a runoff vote in June. ByBenjamin Norton Colombia's far-right presidential candidate Rodolfo Hernández Colombia held the first round of presidential elections on May 29. Center-left candidate Gustavo Petro won in a landslide, with 40.32% of the vote. The candidate who came in second place, with 28.15%, is an extreme-right demagogue named Rodolfo Hernández, who has proudly referred to himself as a “follower” of Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler. Hernández, a real estate mogul with an estimated $100 million in wealth, ra...

Colombia’s left-wing presidential candidate Gustavo Petro won round one of the May 29 elections. He will compete against far-right hundred-millionaire real estate mogul Rodolfo Hernández in a runoff on June 19. ByBenjamin Norton A rally for Colombia's left-wing presidential candidate Gustavo Petro in Bogotá Colombia’s presidential candidate Gustavo Petro of the left-wing Pacto Histórico coalition won round one of the May 29 elections in a landslide. He will compete against a far-right hundred-millionaire real estate mogul, Rodolfo Hernández, in a runoff vote on June 19. Multipolarista editor Benjamin Norton spoke with with members of the anti-imperialist Troika Kollective in Colombia to discuss the election and the political situation in the country. Video https://w...

Gustavo Petro won Colombia’s June 19 election, becoming its first ever left-wing president. We analyze what this means for Latin America, the US, Venezuela, the military, paramilitary groups, the powerful oligarchy, and social movements. ByBenjamin Norton Gustavo Petro won Colombia’s presidential election on June 19. This will make him the first left-wing leader in the South American nation’s history. In the video, podcast, and written analysis below, Multipolarista editor Benjamin Norton discusses Petro’s historic victory, what it means for Colombia, Latin America, and the world, and how difficult it will be for him to govern. Video https://www.youtube.com/embed/RORUdBlmmss?feature=oembed Podcast https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?visual=true&url=https%3A%2F%...

Biden’s top Latin America advisor Juan González threateningly said of Colombia’s new left-wing president, “40 years ago, the United States would have done everything possible to prevent the election of Gustavo Petro” and “sabotage his government.” ByBenjamin Norton The top Latin America advisor for US President Joe Biden, Juan Sebastián González, threateningly said of Colombia’s new left-wing president: “40 years ago, the United States would have done everything possible to prevent the election of Gustavo Petro, and once in power it would have done almost everything possible to sabotage his government.” González is the Western hemisphere director for the US National Security Council (NSC). He previously worked in the State Department and NSC in the Barack Obama administration...

Colombia’s first ever left-wing President Gustavo Petro delivered a historic UN speech declaring, “The war on drugs has failed.” He warned capitalism is destroying the environment, with its “addiction to money and oil,” and called for debt relief for the Global South. ByBenjamin Norton Gustavo Petro Colombia’s first ever left-wing President Gustavo Petro delivered a historic speech at the United Nations declaring, “The war on drugs has failed.” Petro emphasized that drug addiction is a social problem, and cannot be solved with violence and militarization. Rather, he argued, it is a mere symptom of a much deeper problem: the capitalist system itself, with its “addiction to money and oil.” https://www.youtube.com/embed/qbiIoIAgxws?feature=oembed The Colombian leader ...