Bishops in Colombia urge voters to choose wisely in polls for new president

Ahead of the June 19 presidential run-off in Colombia, Catholic bishops in the South American nation that suffered decades of Marxist-inspired conflict are urging citizens to participate actively in the polls. 

In the second round of voting to elect the president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, the leader of the left, faces independent Rodolfo Hernández, who observers say politically he is an enigma due to his positions and his populist rhetoric.  

In the first round on May 29, Petro, a former guerrilla fighter, secured 40.33 percent of the vote share, while businessman-turned-politician Hernández had to contend with 28.14 percent.

The second round is needed as no candidate secured more than 50 percent of the vote share earlier.

Certain principles should be taken into account when electing the new president in the 50 million country that holds a vital place in the fight against the global cocaine trade, said Monsignor Héctor Fabio Henao Gaviria, in-charge of church-state ties under the bishops’ conference of Colombia (Conferencia Episcopal de Colombia, CEC), in a video message. 

He asked all Colombians "to participate actively and consciously in the elections,” and to vote to strengthen the democratic system and to foster the common good. 

Monsignor Henao also asked voters to consider the proposals and policies the candidates are likely to pursue once they assume power before making up their minds. 

Archbishop Luis José Rueda Aparicio of Bogotá and CEC president, in a conference statement, also urged citizens to help build a more just and reconciled society. 

"Help to discern in the light of faith the moment that Colombia is experiencing," he said.

In Colombia, the third-most-populous country in Latin America, Catholics  make up 79 percent of the population.

Archbishop Rueda asked Colombians to consider the political reality of the country and closely follow the proposals by the two candidates before casting votes.

The CEC has repeatedly invited all Colombians to participate actively and consciously in the elections. 

At the start of the first round, the bishops reminded Colombians in a message: "Let us remember that being a faithful citizen is a virtue and that participation in political life is a moral obligation.”

Colombia is often viewed as an example of democratic stability in South America.  

While the majority of the region turned left in the early 2000s, Colombians were influenced by Álvaro Uribe, who was known for neoconservative reforms and who led the country from 2002 to 2010. 

Later, his defence minister and ally became the president in 2010 and his handpicked choice, Iván Duque, won the presidential race in 2018.  

For the first time in 20 years, Uribismo, the right-wing movement formed around Uribe, is conspicuous by its absence in the decisive round of the polls. 

Petro calls for radical changes 

A former member of the M-19 leftist guerrilla group, Petro began his mainstream political career in 1991, after the organization was disarmed as part of a peace process. 

In the past 30 years, Petro has been a member of the Congress and ran for the presidential post in 2010 and 2018. 

If elected, Petro, 66, who heads the Historical Pact coalition, promises to provide free public higher education and to revamp the pension system. 

His calls for radical changes have made him popular among the youth and lower-income voters, who were at the forefront of the 2021 massive protests against the right-wing government of incumbent President Duque.

If Petro prevails, it will be the first time a left-wing leader becomes the president of the country which has been traditionally governed by right-wing, elitist parties. 

Hernández and the TikTok touch 

Seventy-seven-year-old construction tycoon Hernández rose from obscurity in a matter of weeks with his unconventional low-budget poll campaigns which are mainly routed through TikTok, a video app popular with young people, recorded around his kitchen, yard, etc. 

“I won’t steal, which is at the root of the evil in Colombia. I won’t lie, I won’t betray voters,” Hernández said during his Facebook Live show, one of his tired and tested methods of reaching Colombians.

“Am I too old to be on TikTok?” Hernández, who claims to be a successful businessman and job creator, says in a video, flanked by supporters who are dancing, saying, “I don’t care.”

Like his rival, Hernández has said he would pursue peace talks with the drug-trafficking syndicates, which abducted his daughter Juliana in 2004 and is reported to have killed her for not paying the US$2 million ransom.