Colombia joins those who reject socialist policies in Latin America

Last Sunday, Colombia witnessed a prominent political transformation as it joined the rising wave in Latin America rejecting socialist policies, after the election of the 47-year-old Colombian businessman, Abelardo de la Espria, as president of the country in the run-off of the presidential elections.

The final results showed Ispria leading with 49.7% of the total votes cast, compared to 48.7% for his competitor, Senator Ivan Cepeda, 63 years old, who belongs to the political party founded by former President Gustavo Petro.

Ispria’s victory came with a margin of 245,624 votes, which is a larger margin than most opinion polls that preceded the elections expected.

Part of this difference is due to the results of some areas with widespread organized crime influence, whose votes were more in favor of Cepeda.

Following the announcement of the results, former President Petro raised doubts about the integrity of the electoral process, speaking of irregularities about which he did not provide clear details.

The electoral authorities are scheduled to continue reviewing and scrutinizing the results, in accordance with established legal procedures, even though independent media declared de la Espria a clear victory.

This transformation represents a new addition to a series of political changes that Latin American countries have witnessed in recent years, as the number of countries that overthrew governments with socialist tendencies has increased to seven countries since November 2023.

Right-wing, conservative, pro-market governments currently lead Argentina, Ecuador, Bolivia, Honduras, and Chile.

Peru also joined this path this month, although there has not yet been an official announcement of Keiko Fujimori’s victory.

Meanwhile, Panama and Costa Rica succeeded in re-electing conservative governments, after previous leftist governments failed to achieve significant economic improvement.

Issues of the economy and public security topped voters’ priorities during those elections, along with concerns about the future of democratic institutions in the face of what many consider a growing trend toward the radical left.

The Venezuelan model also played an influential role in shaping the attitudes of Colombian voters, as many of them view the economic and political crisis that Venezuela is experiencing as a clear example of the failure of socialist policies, which prompted large sectors of voters to support conservative parties.

Isperia entered the political arena as a relatively new figure on the political scene, based on a discourse against the traditional ruling establishment.

His election campaign focused on combating corruption, confronting drug gang violence, and fighting organized crime, in addition to addressing the economic recession and lack of improvement in living conditions in recent years.

On the other hand, his opponents sought to question his political eligibility, by highlighting his previous work as a lawyer who defended a number of defendants in cases related to drug trafficking, including Alex Saab, who was later linked to the circle of former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

During his election campaign, Ispria pledged to implement a broad reform program that includes reducing the size of government by up to 40%, reducing taxes, and enhancing economic freedoms, especially in the fossil fuel production sector.

He also announced his intention to completely abandon the approach followed by former President Petro in dealing with armed groups and criminal gangs, considering that the previous policy of tolerance contributed to increasing the influence of these groups.

The President-elect confirmed his intention to establish large correctional facilities to accommodate members of criminal gangs and keep them off the streets, in addition to implementing a security strategy aimed at undermining the influence of these groups and eliminating their influence within Colombian society.

On the other hand, the campaign of his competitor, Ivan Cepeda, was negatively affected by the political and economic legacy of former President Petro, who faced criticism due to weak economic performance, high energy prices as a result of some environmental policies, and the widening of the public budget deficit. During his rule, the country also witnessed a noticeable increase in coca production, in parallel with the growing activity of illegal armed groups.

Cepeda had called for expanding the state’s role in the economy, and continuing to make political concessions to armed groups, within the framework of what is known as the “comprehensive peace” project. He also pledged to push for the formation of a constituent assembly to prepare a new constitution for the country, a step that Petro had previously sought to propose during his rule.

These trends raised concerns among a segment of voters, including some who were hesitant about supporting Ispria, which prompted a number of them to line up behind him as the option most capable of preventing these constitutional and political changes.

Ispria enjoys close relations with the United States, as he lived in the city of Miami for about 10 years and holds American citizenship, in addition to his Colombian citizenship. He also announced his desire to develop cooperation with Washington, which is seen as a clear shift from Petro’s approach, which was characterized by closer positions with Cuba and frequent criticism of American policies. About “The Wall Street Journal”

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Reform program

Despite winning the presidency in Colombia, Abelardo de la Esparía faces great challenges in the next stage, most notably the control of former President Gustavo Petro’s party over the majority of seats in Congress, as well as the difficult financial situation that his new administration will find itself in.

However, his supporters believe that the current political climate, coupled with popular dissatisfaction with the previous socialist experience, may give him an opportunity to launch a broad reform program in the coming years.

• Right-wing, conservative governments that support the market economy, currently leading Argentina, Ecuador, Bolivia, Honduras, and Chile.