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In this installment of Sinceramente, our co-editors-in-chief, Vanessa Vallejo and Orlando Avendaño, analyze the consequences of the far-left candidate Gustavo Petro assuming power after the upcoming presidential elections in Colombia.
Vallejo highlights that, in an environment in which the region is “turning red” under socialist regimes, Colombia is among the few countries that have not fallen into the hands of the left. Neighboring a Venezuela mired in communist tyranny, the strategic location of Colombian territory would be an extremely important acquisition for Nicolás Maduro’s allies.
“Gustavo Petro openly says that he is going to abide by the Havana agreement, signed between the FARC guerrillas and Juan Manuel Santos, which includes different points about drug trafficking,” Vallejo pointed out. “For example, coca growers cannot be put in jail or have their crops taken away from them.”
Avendaño, for his part, explained that the danger that Gustavo Petro represents for Colombia (and for the western hemisphere) lies in his similarities with the late Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chávez, who didn’t have the same intellectual depth as the former guerrilla.
He also pointed out that, for this reason, and for the rumors of fraud, the next election will be one of the most important in recent times.
“We must be attentive to Colombia not only because of the possibility of electoral fraud, but also because of the manipulation in the press, social networks, public opinion”, explained Avendaño, and referred to Petro as a “political monster.”
The second round of the presidential elections in Colombia is scheduled for next Sunday, June 19, and its outcome will be decisive for the future of the Latin American nation.
The race will pit the candidate of the center, businessman Rodolfo Hernandez, against the radical left, former guerrilla Gustavo Petro.
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