President Gustavo Petro raises his fist at the end of his inaugural address in Bogota, Colombia, Sunday, Aug. 7, 2022.
President Gustavo Petro raises his fist at the end of his inaugural address in Bogota, Colombia, Sunday, Aug. 7, 2022.
President Gustavo Petro raises his fist at the end of his inaugural address in Bogota, Colombia, Sunday, Aug. 7, 2022.
Gustavo Petro, a former member of Colombia’s M-19 guerrillas, vowed to fight inequality and bring peace to a country long dogged by bloody disputes between the government, drug traffickers and rebels.
Petro won the presidential election in June by defeating conservative parties that proposed moderate adjustments to the market economy, but failed to link up with the electorate frustrated by emerging poverty and violence that oppose human rights defenders and environmental teams in rural areas.
On Sunday, he said Colombia has a “second chance” to combat violence and poverty and vowed that his government will put in place economic policies aimed at ending long-standing inequalities and ensuring “solidarity” with the country’s most vulnerable.
The new president said he is in a position to start peace talks with armed teams across the country, and called on the United States and other evolved countries to replace drug policies that have focused on banning ingredients such as cocaine and fueled violent conflicts in Colombia and other Latin countries. . American nations.
“It is time for a new foreign conference that accepts that the war has failed,” he said.
“Of course, peace is possible. But this depends on replacing existing drug policies with strong measures that prevent consumption in evolved societies.
Petro is part of a developing organization of left-wing politicians and foreign politicians who, since the beginning of the pandemic, have won elections in Latin America and hurt incumbents who have struggled with their economic aftershocks.
The former rebel’s victory was also exceptional for Colombia, where the electorate had been reluctant to help left-wing politicians, sometimes accused of leniency with crime or allied with the guerrillas.
A 2016 peace agreement between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia diverted voters’ attention from violent conflicts taking place in rural spaces and highlighted issues such as poverty and corruption, fueling the popularity of left-wing parties in national elections.
However, smaller teams such as the National Liberation Army and the Clan del Golfo continue to fight through drug trafficking routes, illicit gold mines and other resources abandoned by the FARC.
Petro, 62, described U. S. counternarcotics policies. The U. S. government said it would like to negotiate with Washington “on an equal footing,” building systems to combat the climate, replace or bring infrastructure to rural spaces where many farmers say there are coca leaves. viable cultivation.
He also formed alliances with environmentalists in his presidential crusade and pledged to make Colombia a “global force for life” through slowing deforestation and reducing the country’s dependence on fossil fuels.
He said Colombia would avoid granting new licenses for oil exploration and ban hydraulic fracturing projects, even though the oil industry accounts for only about 50 percent of the country’s legal exports. It plans to fund social spending with a tax reform of £8. 3 billion a year. that would raise taxes and eliminate tax breaks for businesses.
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