Colombian President Gustavo Petro has been elected after defeating independent candidate Rodolfo Hernandez in the second round of elections in a very tight race, the state-run National Civil Registry reported. Petro will take office on August 7.
62-year-old Petro is a senator and former Mayor of Capital Bogota.
According to the reports 99.67 percent of polling stations, Petro, candidate of the leftist Historic Pact for Colombia coalition, received 11,266,138 votes, or 50.48 percent, while Hernandez received 10,546,163 votes or 47.26 percent.
The new president took to Twitter to express his job and wrote, “Let’s celebrate the first popular victory. This victory is for God, and for the people, and its history. Today is the day of the streets and squares”.
Despite previous reports indicating that the voting process was proceeding normally on election day, it was later reported that a soldier and an electoral witness were killed. According to Defense Minister Diego Molano, one soldier was killed in an attack by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. A death in Guapi, Cauca department, involving an electoral volunteer is also under investigation, he said.
