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Gustavo Petro (on May 20th): "A day of celebration for the people"
Photo: JOAQUIN SARMIENTO / AFP
It's a first in Colombia: Gustavo Petro, a left-wing politician, becomes the country's president.
According to the preliminary count, he received 50.49 percent of the votes, as the electoral office announced on Sunday.
His opponent, the right-wing millionaire Rodolfo Hernández, received 47.26 percent.
Petro tweeted the result as the "first victory of the people" in Colombia.
It is "a holiday for the people," and joy fills the "heart of the fatherland."
In his youth, Petro belonged to a guerrilla movement.
After turning away from the armed struggle, he was a diplomat in Belgium and mayor of the capital Bogotá, among other things.
The 62-year-old is currently a senator.
Petro ran for the presidency for the third time.
The current conservative head of state, Iván Duque, was not allowed to stand again because the constitution does not provide for re-election.
Duque wrote on Twitter: “I called Gustavo Petro to congratulate him as the elected President of the Colombian people.
We have agreed to meet in the next few days to start a smooth, institutional and transparent transition.«
The defeated candidate Hernández admitted his defeat.
"The majority of citizens who voted today voted for the other candidate," he said in a video message.
"I accept the result."
According to Petro, it wants to introduce economic and social change in Colombia.
The politician took office with promises to halt oil exploration and tackle inequality in the country with free university access and pension reform.
He also wants to promote tourism and tax companies more heavily.
At Petro's side, Vice-President-elect Francia Márquez, an Afro-Colombian human rights activist and environmentalist, will take over as head of state.
She fought against illegal gold prospecting in the Cauca region, which was particularly hard hit by the violence, and was threatened several times.
In 2018, she received the prestigious Goldman award for her fight.
Around 39 million Colombians were called to vote.
According to official figures, around 20 million people across the country voted.
aar/AFP/dpa
