In a blow to hopes for a progressive shift in Latin America, Colombia’s left-wing presidential candidate has conceded defeat, clearing the way for a pro-business, pro-Western government to hold onto power. The concession came late Tuesday evening after a bruising campaign that exposed deep class and regional divides in the country.
Gustavo Petro, the former guerrilla and longtime leftist standard-bearer, acknowledged that he could not overcome the stronghold of conservative elites and their allies in the media and security establishment. “The establishment has closed ranks,” he told supporters. “But the fight for social justice does not end tonight.”
The victor, Iván Duque of the Democratic Center party, ran on a platform of law and order, promising to roll back the peace deal with FARC rebels and reopen Colombia to foreign investment. His victory was welcomed by Washington, which sees the Andean nation as a key bulwark against the leftward tilt in the region, from Venezuela to Argentina.
For working Colombians, the election result feels like a cold shower. The economy has been sluggish, with wages stagnating and basic goods becoming dearer. The price of bread and cooking oil has risen sharply, while many rural farmers complain of being squeezed by agribusiness interests. Duque’s promises to cut taxes for corporations and slash red tape offer little comfort to those struggling to make ends meet.
The defeat is keenly felt in the industrial heartland of Antioquia and the coal mining regions of La Guajira, where trade unionists had pinned their hopes on a Petro administration. “It’s the same old story,” said María Ospina, a union representative at a textile factory in Medellín. “The rich get richer, and we get told to tighten our belts.”
Yet the leftward push is not dead. Activists note than Petro won the youth vote overwhelmingly, and that the far left made gains in local elections last year. “This is a setback, not a rout,” said political analyst Carlos Guevara. “The battle for the soul of Colombia will continue. The people are restless.”
The question now is whether Duque can heal a fractured nation. His allies call for unity, but his opponents argue that his mandate rests on fear and old loyalties. With inequality at record highs and a growing drug war, the new president has inherited a powder keg.
For now, the pro-Western establishment in Bogotá breathes a sigh of relief. But as the global backlash against austerity grows, Colombia’s lurch to the right may prove temporary. The price of bread, after all, has a habit of settling political scores.
