No. 2 November 2018 A Small Step to the Center Brings Opportunity for the Left Presidential Elections in Colombia By: Sandra Rátiva Sandra Rativa Gaona. Sociologist, feminist and 1. Specifics environmentalist. Ced-ins Researcher, member of the Congress for the People of Colombia political and social movement. FRL Coordinator in Colombia In runoff election, Iván Duque of the Cen- from 2011 to 2016. She has researched social and ter Democratic Party, representing the var- environmental conflict, including ecological policy, ious right-wing tendencies of Colombia, climate change, community management of com- will be facing off against Gustavo Petro, mon assets, historic memory, and grassroots political former mayor of Bogotá, representing left- organizations. twitter: @agarimas ist and working-class sectors. In the first round, Duque received 39.14% of votes (7,569,693)1, while Petro obtained 25.08% On June 17, Colombia will elect its president for (4,851,254). 2018-2022. After the first round of the election, two men will face each other in the runoff: Iván Duque, representing the right, and Gustavo Petro, for There were two big surprises on election day: the left. Results from the first round of the election, i) a significant show of support for the former held on May 27, evidence several changes in Colom- mayor of Medellin, mathematician Sergio bia’s political dynamics, while other trends remain the Fajardo, a centrist candidate who received same. These reflections are discussed in this article. 1 According to the Colombian Civil Registration Bureau, 97,663 voting sites were set up in the country’s 32 depart- ments. Of the 36,783,940 registered voters, 19,363,714 came out to vote, making voter turnout 53.38%, with a 46.62% abstention rate. A total of 56,935 votes were left blank (0.28%), and 243,645 were invalid (1.24%). Source: https://presidente2018.registraduria.gov.co/resultados/ html/resultados.html 1 23.73% of the vote (4,589,696 votes in total, to represent them all. On March 11, on the only 261,558 fewer than Petro), and ii) rather date of the parliamentary elections, this limited support for former president Ger- primary election ended with Senator Iván mán Vargas Lleras, who had seemed to have Duque as the winner, garnering 4,032,736 the political machinery on his side, but only votes, also choosing Martha Lucia Ramírez garnered 7.28% of votes (1,407,840). While (former minister of defense under Uribe and many talk about the high levels of polariza- also a minister under Pastrana) as the run- tion in the country, the truth of the matter is ning mate. that the runoff election will be decided by the centrist voters, and, if one of the two can- This coalition is based on defending insti- didates is able to excite the electorate, tradi- tutions, tradition, and social and economic tional non-voters, who total 17,420,226, the and social conservatism, and has waged its equivalent of 46.62% of Colombia’s eligible fight against what amounts to the ghosts of voting population. Castro and Chavez in Colombia. The group has been vocal in its criticism of the Hava- na peace accords, claiming that they have 2. Who’s who? resulted in impunity and that crimes against humanity have gone unpunished. Their Iván Duque. “The one Uribe says.” political movement alleges that instead of punishment, the FARC (Common Alterna- Given their similarities, both in terms of tive Revolutionary Force) have been awarded 3 ideology and proposals, a group of politi- parliamentary representation. cal forces came together to fight on a unit- ed front in this election: the Conservative This coalition played to votes from Liberal Party (one of the two long-standing parties Party’s regional patronage structures (the in Colombia, with a close relationship to Liberal Party is the other long-standing the Catholic Church, and which has been Colombian political party, which represent- represented by 22 presidents), the Central ed political liberalism in the 19th century Democratic Party, and Alejandro Ordoñez, and boasts 14 former presidents), as well as an independent candidate (former solicitor from the Radical Change Party (founded in general who was removed from office for 1998, which includes parts of what used to influence peddling; he is an active member be the Liberal Party and regional political of the SSPX Church).2 Together, they held movements; it has connections to the para- a primary election to decide on a candidate military). These parties themselves ended up 2 Ordoñez is a member of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and receiving only a small number of votes. The Mary congregation in the La Soledad neighborhood in Bogotá, a church belonging to the Society of Saint Pius X, 3 “Interview with Iván Duque, presidential candidate suppor- which was created by the French Cardinal Marcel Lefebvre ted by Uribe -- Presidential Elections - Colombia 2018 – EL- in 1970, see: https://www.las2orillas.co/alejandro-ordo- TIEMPO.COM,” retrieved on June 4, 2018, http://www. nez-fanatico-religioso/ and http://www.vanguardia.com/ eltiempo.com/elecciones-colombia-2018/presidenciales/ santander/bucaramanga/139354-en-la-intimidad-del-cul- entrevista-de-yamid-amat-con-ivan-duque-candidato-presi- tolefebvrista-de-bucaramanga dencial-del-uribismo-225870. 2 Liberal Party, represented by the La Paz ne- behind this campaign. Fajardo’s candidacy gotiator Humberto de la Calle received only was not the result of an internal decision by 399,180 votes, while the official candidate the political parties involved, but rather an for the Radical Change Party was President agreement between their leaders. The agree- Santo’s former vice president, Germán Var- ment was not an easy one to reach, since Ro- gas Lleras. bledo, López, and Fajardo were all interested in being presidential candidates. Within the Iván Duque is the son of a well-known fam- coalition, the Democratic Pole’s support ily from Antioquia. Attorney. Worked for the became blurred, as best evidenced by the Inter-American Development Bank upon the campaign colors (green). Major differences personal recommendation by Juan Manuel of opinion and debate arose within the party, Santos (2001-2013). Senator for the 2014- as many of its members decided to support 2018 period, representing the Central Dem- Gustavo Petro in the first round of the elec- ocratic Party.4 Duque resigned his senate seat tions, arguing that Coalition Colombia did to run for president. In December 2017, the not represent the Pole’s opposition-based, party ran an internal survey and ended up leftist ideology. giving him their presidential nomination. Iván Duque’s candidacy was openly and Sergio Fajardo is also from Antioquia. strongly supported by Alvaro Uribe Velez. Mathematician and university professor. Medellín Mayor (2004-2007) and Antioquia Governor (2012-2015). He was Antanas Sergio Fajardo (62). “I am a teacher.” Mockus’s running mate in 2010 (vice presi- dential candidate). Coalition Colombia is a political alliance that was created under an agreement be- “My name is Gustavo Petro and I tween three parties: the Green Alliance want to be your president.” Party, the Alternative Democratic Pole, and the Citizen Commitment Civil Movement. As Coalition Colombia was coming together This alliance focused its efforts on fighting in December 2017, Gustavo Petro insisted corruption and a new code of ethics for pol- that the various centrist and leftist politi- itics. Green Alliance Senator Claudia López, cal forces should come together to choose Democratic Pole Senator Jorge Robledo (the a single presidential candidate for 2018 to longtime political adversary of Alvaro Uribe participate in the elections with a united Vélez), Senator-elect (2018-2022) and former front. However, disagreements within the Bogotá Mayor Antanas Mockus, and other Democratic Pole5, especially within the sec- famous Colombian intellectuals were tor represented by Senator Jorge Robledo, as 4 He won his senate seat by being on the list headed by for- a result of the heady presidential campaign mer President Álvaro Uribe Vélez. Therefore, in the strictest sense of the word, Duque did not win his seat outright, but launched by former senator Piedad Córdoba rather thanks to his party, which is the same as saying thanks 5 https://www.las2orillas.co/por-que-jorge-enrique-roble- to Uribe himself. do-nunca-votaria-por-gustavo-petro/; 3 (who ran under the Citizen Power Party, but recipient of the 2018 Goldman environmen- dropped out in April), and also because of tal award)6. the Green Alliance Party’s placing its hopes on its most visible face, Claudia López, and Undoubtedly, one Gustavo Petro’s most also due to Fajardo’s own belligerence, the strategic moves was naming Senator Angela multi-party primary only included Gustavo Maria Robledo as his running mate. Roble- Petro for Human Colombia and former San- do is a university professor, self-proclaimed ta Marta Mayor Carlos Caicedo. This pri- feminist, and one of the nation’s most char- mary was also held on March 11, and Gus- ismatic figures, especially adept at reaching tavo Petro was the clear winner. That day, agreements and consensus across the dem- Petro was also endorsed by six newly-elected ocratic spectrum. Her participation in the parliamentary representatives from the “list campaign brought a feminist perspective to of decency” group, which during those elec- the debates on women’s rights, caretaking tions included the Patriotic Union (a leftist professions, and the political participation of party that had suffered political genocide all types of sectors of the economy. back in the 80’s), the Alternative Indigenous and Social Movement (MAIS - a party that Gustavo Petro (58) was born in Sucre, in the included the highly politicized and autono- Colombian Caribbean Region, but he grew mous sectors of various indigenous commu- up and studied in the center of the country.