Colombia 2022: From the end of the war to the government of change

This article explains the historic change that took place in Colombia in 2022, with the election of the first left-wing president in the country’s history. The first section describes the electoral patterns and the reasons why Gustavo Petro won the presidential race, focusing on three: the organizational muscle of the candidate’s coalition, changes in the issues dominating public discussion (from war to redistribution), and the crisis brought by the global pandemic. The second section analyzes the initial months of the Petro’s governments and its challenges, including the clash between different redistributive demands and the difficulty of implementing an agenda focused on social justice amidst an economic crisis and persistent problems associated with the armed conflict. Finally, the article concludes with an analysis of Colombia in the context of Latin America and the new left turn