The left wins elections in Colombia for the first time. Hope is back, says a Norwegian peace activist.

AFP writes that former leftist guerrilla Gustavo Petro wins elections in Colombia.

background: Choosing fate in Colombia

Petro wrote: “Today is a holiday for the people.” Twitter Where victory is declared.

Petro, 62, who previously served as mayor of the capital, Bogota, leads by more than 3 percentage points, or about 700,000 votes, over 77-year-old Hernandez when 98 percent of the votes were counted.

– We hope to come back

Petro takes over from Governor Evan Duque, who was unable to run for re-election.

Diego Marin Rios of Peace in Colombia points out that Colombia today is more democratic than ever.

– The presidential elections themselves, regardless of the results, indicate a change of state. Now that Gustavo Petro and Francia Marquez are the country’s new heads of state, I believe the peace agreement finally has a chance to be implemented. The environmental struggle, the struggle of the women, and the people who took to the streets in the major strikes won. In Colombia, people have regained hope.

Martha Rubiano Skritberg from Colombia is the Secretary General of the Norwegian Caritas Foundation, which works to improve peace in the country and help local communities. Historically, it describes the election result as the left coming to power for the first time.

It is clear that the people of Colombia want change. It creates great expectations among the poor, minorities and the working class. The country is in an economic crisis and politically divided. The new president will face significant challenges in terms of economic distribution and combating the increasing violence that we have seen in recent years.