Tag: Gustavo Petro

Thousands of Colombians protest against president

BOGOTÁ, June 21, 2023 (AFP) — Thousands of Colombians protested in the capital Bogota and other cities Tuesday against reforms by the country’s first-ever leftist president Gustavo Petro, which many say go too far. Since taking over last August, Petro has submitted several reform projects to parliament to reduce private participation in the healthcare system, redistribute unproductive land, and reform labor and pension regulations. But he has since lost his majority backing in the legislature, […]

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Venezuela, Colombia reopen border to vehicles carrying goods

SAN ANTONIO DEL TACHIRA, Venezuela (AFP) – Venezuela and Colombia on Monday reopened their border to vehicles transporting goods following seven years of partial closure, including three years in which it was fully closed due to a political spat. Colombia President Gustavo Petro and representatives of the government of Venezuela leader Nicolas Maduro attended the ceremony. The first truck left San Antonio del Tachira on the Venezuelan side of the border just after midday and […]

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Colombians vote in high stakes presidential runoff

by Hector Velasco Agence France-Presse BOGOTA, Colombia (AFP) — Colombians vote Sunday in a presidential runoff that features promises of radical change in a country saddled with widespread poverty, violence and other woes. After a tense campaign marked by claims of death threats against several candidates, opinion polls have leftist Gustavo Petro and businessman Rodolfo Hernandez neck-and-neck. Should he win, former guerrilla Petro would become Colombia’s first left-wing president. If not, the independent Hernandez, a […]

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