Gustavo Petro, a senator and former member of the demobilized leftist M-19 rebel group, won the Colombian presidential runoff election on Sun., becoming the first leftist victor in the country's history.
Petro received 50.47% of the vote, defeating fellow contender Rodolfo Hernández who received 47.27%, according to preliminary results.
Colombia is long overdue for political change. No one can say he will succeed with certainty, but we do know that if we stick with the status quo, Colombia will continue down the negative path it's been on for decades. This is the first opportunity the nation has had for change in a long time. Petro's victory seems promising.
Petro's radical policies will most certainly threaten the Colombian economy and likely impact the entire continent. His victory will endanger Colombia's longtime alliance with the US in the anti-narcos fight and in countering Venezuela, potentially allowing China to become even more influential in Latin America.