Surprising Twist in Colombia’s First Round Presidential Election

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On May 29, 2022, Colombians voted in the first round of their nation’s presidential electoral process. As predicted, former M-19 guerrilla, mayor of Bogotá, current senator, and leftist Pacto Histórico coalition candidate Gustavo Petro proved his mettle as the obvious front runner, garnering more than 40% of the vote. Yet, seemingly out of nowhere, the businessman, former governor of Bucaramanga, and so-called “Trump Tropical,” Rodolfo Hernández of the Liga de Gobernantes Anticorrupción came in second with 28%, beating out Petro’s supposedly most likely runoff foe, the far-right Federico ‘Fico’ Gutiérrez of the Creemos Colombia Party. Editorialists and analysts across the region offered explanations and possible scenarios.

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