Presidency of Gustavo Petro

Gustavo Petro
Presidency of Gustavo Petro
7 August 2022 – present
CabinetFull list
PartyHumane Colombia
Election2022
SeatCasa de Nariño

Seal of the president
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Gustavo Petro
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Gustavo Petro's term as the 34th president of Colombia began with his inauguration on 7 August 2022.[1] Petro, a leftist leader from Córdoba who previously served as mayor of Bogotá, took office after his victory in the 2022 presidential election over the self-proclaimed "anti-corruption leader" Rodolfo Hernández. Upon his inauguration, he became the first left-wing president in the recent history of Colombia. Petro took office amid the political shadow of his predecessor, an economic crisis and increased political polarization.

At the time of his election, Petro was a 62-year-old member of Congress; his victory has been attributed to voter anger at the political class over years of corruption in politics, economic recession, the COVID-19 health crisis and a rise in violent crime.[2] According to the political scientist Paca Zuleta, "the discontent over the economic crisis, it seems to me, was channeled together with a speech about combating poverty and not responding in the way that his detractors expected". Colombia's economy was recovering from the crisis, with an unemployment rate of 28 percent at the time of the elections, twice as high as five years earlier. The crisis was caused, among other factors, by the weakness of the prices of raw materials; the events revealed underlying weaknesses in the economy, including poor infrastructure, excessive bureaucracy, an inefficient tax system, and corruption.[3]

  1. ^ Turkewitz, Julie (21 June 2022). "Gustavo Petro Makes History in Presidential Victory". The New York Times. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  2. ^ "Leftist Petro elected president of Colombia, defeating millionaire Hernandez". france24.com. 20 June 2022. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  3. ^ Velásquez Loaiza, Melissa (7 August 2022). "Quién es Gustavo Petro, el presidente electo de Colombia que alcanzó más de 11 millones de votos". cnnespañol.cnn.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 September 2022.