Puebla Group Celebrates Triumph of Gustavo Petro in Colombia

On Monday, the Puebla Group welcomed the victory of the Historical Pact candidates Gustavo Petro and Francia Marquez in the first round of the Colombian elections held on May 29.

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In a statement entitled "Long live Colombia!, the one that begins to live 'tasty' from today," the Latin American intellectuals and politicians described their victory as an expression of "the hopes of change of Colombian progressivism."

The Puebla Group also celebrated "the democratic spirit and the civic and peaceful will that was expressed on election day, especially due to their participation levels."

The victory of Historical Pact candidates reflects "the enormous work of young people who dream of a new Colombia, where all the men and women excluded be recognized," it added.

The Puebla Group also invited to respect the results of the elections in order to "build a fair, democratic, and peaceful Colombia" because the "victory of Gustavo Petro fills Latin America with hope. The people begin to breathe new airs of dialogue, social equality, and integration."

Prior to the first round, progressive Latin American leaders demanded that President Ivan Duque provide security and stop questioning the legitimacy of the electoral process.

The Puebla Group was founded in 2019 by over 40 progressive Latin American leaders. Among them are President Alberto Fernandez (Argentina) and former presidents Dilma Rousseff and Lula da Silva (Brazil), Jose Mujica (Uruguay), Rafael Correa (Ecuador), Ernesto Samper (Colombia), Evo Morales (Bolivia), Jose Luis Rodriguez (Spain), Fernando Lugo (Paraguay), Martin Torrijos (Panama), and Leonel Fernandez (Dominican Republic).