:quality(75)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/elcomercio/X37OALAX2BD4XCIG5O3U6WQDQQ.jpg)
*From Bogota-Bucaramanga
Colombia He decides this Sunday his future in presidential elections that could define the youth, protagonist, in the last and agitated years, of the political life of the country, although still with little representation in the high ranks of the parties.
the leftist Gustavo Petroformer M-19 guerrilla and former mayor of Bogotá, and the wealthy populist builder, Rodolfo Hernandezformer mayor of Bucaramanga, an election is being held whose result is expected to be very tight.
Both are in a technical tie, according to the latest polls, a situation that has occurred on few occasions in the history of Colombia, a country where it is almost always more or less clear who is going to win before the elections are held.
READ ALSO: Elections in Colombia: Fed up and uncertainty define this second round
The contest could be decided by photo ‘finish’ and that is why the vote of the 8.9 million Colombians under 28 years of age who are called to the polls from a total electoral roll of 39 million people is so important.
Young people were protagonists of the massive protests of 2019 and 2021, which left at least 66 dead, according to the UN, 28 of them at the hands of the police forces, and led to the discrediting of the government of the right-wing Iván Duque, who will leave the power in August with less than 30% approval.
“Psychologically there has to be a totally different and very affected society, because we saw people die live, on Instagram, on television and on the networks. Support for alternative sectors grew a lot”comment to Trade Gareth Sella, a student who lost an eye in 2021 due to the impact on his face of a rubber bullet launched by the police during a protest.
Walk, along with other young people, in a demonstration organized in the north of Bogotá against police brutality. The entourage cuts the road to be heard.
“The fundamental symbol of change and resistance that has occurred in Colombia is the awakening of consciences. Colombia has always had a large majority of the population that considers itself apolitical. With the social explosion and the transformations that have been seen, which have affected them directly or indirectly, it has led them to have a change of consciousness. Those people who eight or ten years ago did not vote, now vote en masse”says another of the young protesters, who does not want to reveal his name. He has an eye patch. He also lost it, during a protest in 2019.
The two will vote this Sunday for the progressive candidate, who has managed to bring together the vote of some protests that, initially, were supported by 70% of young people under 25 years of age.
“Now that there are possibilities of losing that advance of the demonstrations, I see many sectors organizing for a change, so as not to give in to fascism and the right”Seal says.
READ ALSO: Video of Rodolfo Hernández partying with young women fuels leak war in Colombia
The candidates for change
Petro He leads the group of voters between 18 and 24 years of age with 60% of voting intentions, and would achieve 56% support among those between 25 and 34 years of age, according to data from the GAD3 pollster.
The anti-government protests have had a profound effect on these elections, in any case, and have also favored his rival at the polls.
Six out of four Colombians asked for change. Petro Y Hernandez they ended up bringing together 68% of the vote (40%+28% each) in the first round. They are very different candidates, but both alien to the ‘establishment’ and to the forty families that -according to a BBC study- have governed the country in the last 200 years.
the outsider
The traditional, liberal, conservative, and Uribe parties were the big losers at the polls. His candidate, Fico Gutiérrez, barely got 24% of the votes and was left out of the ballot, in favor of the Bumangués constructor, who also has numerous supports among the youth, although he is behind his rival in that segment.
“He is a serious, humble and hard-working person like me. I identify a lot with him because I think that for one to achieve great things one has to work very hard. The money that comes easily, easily goes, but what you strive to have, that endures “comments Lilia Marín as she sells caps and t-shirts with the image and slogans of the wealthy builder in the streets of Bucaramanga, a city where the former mayor won the first round with 64% of the votes, being his electoral stronghold.
Hernandez is criticized in Colombia for his bad character, that he has played bad tricks on him, such as when he threatened to shoot a dissatisfied client or slapped a critical councilman in public.
“He is from Bucaramanga and here we are like that, boars, strong and fighters. He is our identity, he is not bad character ”Sorry Marin.
In the city of eastern Colombia, electoral advertising is everywhere. In cars, taxis, shoe shine cases or on the facades of houses.
Also at the stall where Sonia García sells sweets to pay for her living. “I think your proposal to end all corruption is excellent. 99.9% of politicians are bad, they come to rob the people and do not think about the people who have needs. In addition, he is from Bucaramanga and I support the people of Bumanga”, comment.
Hernandez has managed to reach Second round with serious chances of being president thanks to his anti-corruption speech, despite the fact that he will have to go on trial for possible corruption at the end of July.
He faces at the polls a Petro that arouses love and hate in a population that agreed three weeks ago to punish the traditional parties.
Source: Elcomercio
I, Ronald Payne, am a journalist and author who dedicated his life to telling the stories that need to be said. I have over 7 years of experience as a reporter and editor, covering everything from politics to business to crime.
