Colombia News | Colombia Reports
  • News
    • General
    • Analysis
    • War and peace
    • Elections
    • Economy
    • Culture
    • Sports
    • Science and Tech
  • Travel
    • General
    • Bogota
    • Medellin
    • Cali
    • Cartagena
    • Antioquia
    • Caribbean
    • Pacific
    • Coffee region
    • Amazon
    • Southwest Colombia
    • Northeast Colombia
    • Central Colombia
  • Data
    • Economy
    • Crime and security
    • War and peace
    • Development
    • Cities
    • Regions
    • Provinces
  • Profiles
    • Organized crime
    • Politics
    • Armed conflict
    • Economy
    • Sports
  • Lite
  • Opinion
  • About us
  • Support us
  • Contact Us
  • Intelligence
  • Advertising
  • Newsletter
Colombia News | Colombia Reports
  • News
    • General
    • Analysis
    • War and peace
    • Elections
    • Economy
    • Culture
    • Sports
    • Science and Tech
  • Travel
    • General
    • Bogota
    • Medellin
    • Cali
    • Cartagena
    • Antioquia
    • Caribbean
    • Pacific
    • Coffee region
    • Amazon
    • Southwest Colombia
    • Northeast Colombia
    • Central Colombia
  • Data
    • Economy
    • Crime and security
    • War and peace
    • Development
    • Cities
    • Regions
    • Provinces
  • Profiles
    • Organized crime
    • Politics
    • Armed conflict
    • Economy
    • Sports
  • Lite
  • Opinion
Elections

Who does Gustavo Petro think he is? Metallica?

by Adriaan Alsema May 18, 2018

Colombia’s anti-corruption candidate Gustavo Petro draws crowds that would make many rock bands jealous.

The leftist candidate’s latest show of force was on Thursday in Bogota where tens of thousands of supporters went to see him speak at the central Bolivar square.

Armed with flags and banners, the followers loudly took part in the largest political manifestation in years.

According to Semana magazine, downtown Bogota was jam-packed. “You couldn’t walk for blocks around.”

Petro “challenged the establishment bringing a sea of people,” said the magazine, aware of the historic size of the crowd.


When Gustavo Petro was a guerrilla


Colombia has not seen such massive election rallies since the 1980s when presidential candidate Luis Carlos Galan was murdered while challenging Colombia’s elite politicians.

Petro has gladly referenced the legendary Liberal Party leader and Jorge Eliecer Gaitan, another leftist leader who was murdered while threatening to defeat the establishment.

The excitement among followers at times reaches such heights that hard-right former President Alvaro Uribe, Petro’s most powerful political rival, has accused the anti-corruption candidate of “promoting class hatred.”


Why Colombia’s establishment and Gustavo Petro don’t get along


Whether Petro’s efforts are enough to defeat Uribe’s candidate, Ivan Duque, on May 27 is far from certain. Duque has campaigned hard to appeal to conservative voters who don’t take part in rallies as much.

But Thursday’s event must have woken up Colombia’s establishment and can only be compared to the crowds that were mobilized by legendary politicians that have since made the country’s history books.

2018 electionsGustavo Petro

Trending

  • Colombia’s defense minister dies of COVID

  • Colombia’s corporate media taking part in possibly illegal intelligence operations

  • Far-right Duque supporters say ‘we will finish’ one of Colombia’s worst massacres

Weekly interviews and news updates

Related articles

  • Former Uribe aide remains silent in Colombia’s 2018 election fraud probe

  • Colombia doubles down on trying to make president’s narco ties go away

  • Colombia’s opposition threatened with ‘systematic extermination’

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Linkedin
  • RSS

@2008-2019 - Colombia Reports. All Rights Reserved.
Powered by Digitale Zaken and Parrolabs


Back To Top