Voters voted in the Colombian presidential election in Bogota on Sunday. Credit … Federico Rios for The New York Times
One of the candidates is Gustavo Petro, a former rebel senator and former senator who is trying to become the first left-wing president in Colombia, calling for a transformation of the economic system.
The other is Rodolfo Hernandez, a construction mogul who has become the most disruptive political phenomenon in the country in a generation, galvanizing voters largely through his extraordinary presence on social media with promises of “total austerity” and a focus on scorched earth corruption.
At stake in Sunday’s presidential election is the fate of Latin America’s third-largest nation, where poverty and inequality have risen during the pandemic, and polls show growing mistrust in almost every major institution. Last year’s anti-government protests took hundreds of thousands to the streets in what became known as the “national strike,” the shadow of which looms over Sunday’s vote.
“The whole country is calling for change,” said Fernando Posada, a Colombian political scientist, “and that is absolutely clear.”
Candidates enter the polls virtually tied in the polls, and the result could be so close that it takes days to determine a winner.
Whoever finally gets a victory will be in charge of addressing the country’s most pressing problems and their global repercussions: the lack of opportunities and the increase in violence, which have led to a record number of Colombians emigrating to the United States. in recent months; high levels of deforestation in the Colombian Amazon, a critical buffer against climate change; and growing threats to democracy, part of a trend in the region.
Both candidates inspire anger and hope in voters, and the election has divided families, dominated the national conversation, and brought a glossary of Internet memes that form a snapshot of the national mood: Mr. Hernandez has labeled his “crazy” doubters at TikTok; Mr. Petro promotes a sling that encourages a turn in the illicit practice of buying votes.
“First deceive them,” says the heart, referring to the country’s political establishment, “take your money and vote for Petro!”
Both candidates say they are running against a conservative elite that has controlled the country for generations.
Among the factors that distinguish them most is what they consider to be the root of Colombia’s problems.
Mr. Petro believes the economic system is broken, overly dependent on oil exports and a flourishing and illegal cocaine business that he says has made the rich richer and the poor poorer. It calls for a halt to all new oil exploration, a shift towards the development of other industries and an expansion of social programs, while imposing higher taxes on the rich.
“What we have today is the result of what I call‘ model exhaustion, ’” Mr. Petro in an interview, referring to the current economic system. “The end result is brutal poverty.”
However, his ambitious economic plan has aroused concern. A former finance minister described his energy plan as “economic suicide”.
Mr. Hernandez does not want to review the economic framework, but says it is inefficient because it is full of corruption and frivolous spending. He has called for the combination of ministries, the removal of some embassies and the dismissal of inefficient government employees, while using the savings to help the poor.
“The feeling they have,” he said of his supporters, “is that I have the ability to confront the political cabal, to take them out of power to claim the rights of the poorest.”
His critics say he is proposing a brutal form of capitalism that will harm the nation.
Mr. Petro is accused by former allies of an arrogance that leads him to ignore councilors and fight to build teams. Mr. Hernandez is accused of being vulgar and domineering, and has been charged with corruption, with a trial set for July 21. He says he is innocent.
No matter the outcome, the country will have a black woman as its first vice president: Francia Márquez, an environmental activist in Mr. Petro, or Marelen Castillo, a former university administrator who runs with Mr. Hernandez.
In May, during the first round of voting, Yojaira Pérez, 53, in the north of the department of Sucre, described her vote to Mr. Petro as a kind of retribution, reflecting the mood of an electorate that has helped raise the candidacies of the two men. competing on Sunday.
“We must punish the same old politicians who have dominated Colombia,” he said, “who wanted to govern and manage Colombia as if it were a puppet, as if we were their puppets.”