A year of lockdowns, high unemployment, and rising poverty rates has provoked social discontent in Colombia. The current wave of protests—while originally triggered by the government’s poorly conceived, strategized, and communicated tax reform proposal—have been further inflamed by police brutality, a tone-deaf government response, and a vacuum of political leadership.
On the day before the Easter holiday, the Colombian Attorney General’s office issued an indictment against the former governor of the Antioquia Department and current presidential contender, Sergio Fajardo, for fund mismanagement alleged to have taken place in 2013. Fajardo’s response to the allegations against him may redirect his candidacy just one year before Colombia’s presidential election.
This does not mean a Petro presidency is the best option for Colombia. Though both the current government and the business sector want to avoid this scenario, their actions have continued to open the door to the possibility of a Petro victory.
After the Centro Democrático party sought to interfere in the United States presidential elections, there have been further efforts to interject themselves into the domestic politics of other countries including Peru, Argentina, and now Ecuador.
Colombian support for President Donald Trump during the 2020 presidential election threatens to stain the U.S.-Colombia relationship. The task now will be to undertake a full-blown exercise in damage control.
The reactions to former President Álvaro Uribe’s arrest hints toward deep divisions within the country, the body politic, and within families across Colombia.
