Petro starts his term with a grand vision of Latin American unity that will likely face significant political, social, economic, and geopolitical obstacles.
On Sunday, Venezuela’s Deputy Foreign Minister Rander Peña Ramírez welcomed the new Ambassador of Colombia to Venezuela, Armando Benedetti, in Caracas, signaling the resumption of bilateral diplomatic ties after a three-year break.
On Monday, prosecutors in Argentina publicly requested that former President and current Vice President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner be sentenced to 12 years in prison for alleged corruption during her eight years as president and her husband’s preceding four years in office.
What Petro can achieve in furthering peace will determine whether the enthusiasm that propelled him to victory will quickly turn into disillusionment and whether Colombia’s peace process will sink or swim.
On Sunday, Gustavo Petro and Francia Márquez assumed the roles of president and vice president, respectively, of Colombia in an inauguration ceremony held in the Plaza Bolívar of Bogotá.
At the outset of his presidency, Petro must appeal to pragmatism if he wants to see his ambitious vision implemented, albeit less ambitious than he originally conceived.
The way that Petro interacts with the press, especially reporters who are critical of his administration, will determine his democratic credentials.
On Sunday, Gustavo Petro won Colombia’s presidential election with 50.4 percent of the vote, defeating his opponent Rodolfo Hernández, who garnered 47.3 percent of votes.
Gustavo Petro won the presidency. However, it should be well understood that a significant portion of the country did not want him to become president. This result does not give the new president a clear mandate to execute their policy without at least trying to address concerns from the other side.
Now that the celebrations are over, Colombia’s new left-wing president faces a mountain of challenges. His biggest challenge will be delivering on his promises.
