Colombia: The left begins violent protests against president-elect
Gustavo Petro and the left will challenge the results from thousands of polling stations and insist that they will only recognize the outcome once the final tally is complete, which will take several days.
Protest in Colombia
Chanting “Resistance!” amid burning barricades, thousands protested on Sunday against the election of Colombian president-elect Abelardo de la Espriella.
Voters from the radical left, which lost the runoff election, filled the streets of Bogotá and Cali—two strongholds of outgoing President Gustavo Petro and his allied candidate, Iván Cepeda—with chants, car horns and music.
The demonstration against the 47-year-old millionaire lawyer escalated into clashes between some masked protesters and riot police, according to AFP reporters. They also burned tires and American flags.
Petro and the left will challenge the results at thousands of polling stations and insist they will only recognize the outcome once the final tally is complete, which will take several days.
In Bogotá, hundreds of people draped in Colombian flags and a motorcade of cars and motorcycles gathered in front of the National University, a symbol of public education in the country.
Police responded with tear gas against the young people upset by the election of the new president, who promises a tough stance on crime, mega-prisons and promoting fracking to extract energy resources.
The results
During the preliminary count, President Gustavo Petro expressed reservations about the results, noting that they still need to be validated by the electoral authorities. His stance contrasted with the usual practice in Colombia, where the defeated candidate typically acknowledges his opponent’s victory on the very night the preliminary count data is released.
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