[Mexico City / Bogota / Sao Paulo 22nd Reuters]–Latin America has the birth of the first left-wing president in Colombia, and Brazil is also in the “pink trend”, with left-wing candidates advancing the election campaign in favor of the presidential election in October. There is a growing movement reminiscent of the left-leaning movement of the early 2000s.
In Latin America, voters angry at the economic blow of the pandemic of the new coronavirus and the fierce inflation caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have given up on mainstream political parties and are drawn to “big government” and fiscal mobilization pledges. There is.
“The left-wing government is hope itself,” said Gloria Sanchez, a 50-year-old elementary school teacher in Bogotá, the capital of Colombia, who supports Petro, the leftist who won the presidential election vote on the 19th. She praises her, “This is the first time a government has seen the people as humans and the poor.”
In Latin America, the left has already taken power in Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Peru, etc., with Colombia joining. Furthermore, in Brazil, the left-wing former President Lula is leading the far-right incumbent, Mr. Bolsonaro, in polls.
The overthrow of conservative strongholds in Chile and Colombia and the movement of political faults could affect a wide range of areas, from grain and metals to economic policy and relationships with key partners such as the United States and China.
“There are subtle differences between governments, but there are really important and clear moves in Latin America,” said Umberto Costa, a senator from Brazil’s left-wing Labor Party.
In Chile, the radical Borich (36) became president in March this year. Last year in Peru, socialist and former teacher Castillo became president. In Bolivia, conservatives were tentatively in power for a short time, but the Socialist Party won the 2020 general election.
Former President Morales of Bolivia, who was a symbol of the original “pink tide,” tweeted that Petro’s victory in Colombia represents “a growing social conscience and solidarity with the Latin American leftist flag.”
Brazil is the focus of attention. The presidential election will be held in October, but dissatisfaction with the populist and far-right incumbent Jair Bolsonaro is growing, and there is a possibility that a left-wing government will be born.
“The left wing has come back to life in the fight against Mr. Bolsonaro,” said left-wing Congressman Alexandre Padilla. The anti-Bolsonaro move is said to attract young voters and connect those who protest the political and economic situation.
“I think economic and political people around the world are becoming aware that they need to reassess a series of neoliberal policies that have resulted in deeper inequality,” he said.
However, the pink tide this time is very different from the previous time when radical leftists such as Mr. Chavez of Venezuela and Mr. Morales of Bolivia emerged.
Castillo of Peru has been in the middle of the road since taking office in the middle of last year, and his relationship with the ruling party has been jerky. Chile’s Borich seeks moderate economic policies and criticizes the leftist authoritarian regime.
The flow may change. In Argentina, center-left President Fernandez is under pressure for the 2023 election. Peruvian President Castillo has been battling repeated impeachment proposals, and Chile’s approval rating has declined since his inauguration.
“If this election is held, many of these’pink’governments will disappear,” said Nicholas Sardias, an analyst at the Economist Intelligence Unit. “The support base is not rock solid,” he said.
Many Colombian voters simply sought a better life for themselves and their children. What I want is an opportunity to study and work.
Pedro Pedraza, 60, who runs a store in Bogotá, said, “I don’t know if it’s left or right. We’re workers, we don’t care about that. We want to work, and children are better than ourselves. I want you to live a life. ” “I don’t want anything for free, I want an environment where I can work, succeed, and get out of poverty,” he said.
(Reporters by Isabel Woodford, Carlos Vargas, Gabriel Araujo)
