Former mayor wins presidency in Colombia elections

Colombians rewrote their history of politics on Sunday.

Braving torrential rains, residents of the Colombian capital Bogota poured out onto the streets and piled into the large Movistar Arena to celebrate the victory of former Bogota mayor Gustavo Petro in the nation's presidential election.

The country's red, blue and yellow flag was visible everywhere, even in a sea of umbrellas and ponchos, which kept the rain at bay but could not hide the jubilant spirits. And chants of si se puede (yes, it's possible) resonated from the indoor sporting arena and throughout the city.

Petro was chosen as the presidential candidate for the Historic Pact for Colombia coalition. His running mate Francia Marquez, a single mother and former housekeeper, became the first black vice-president-elect.

Petro won the election by more than 700,000 votes in the second round of voting, earning 50.44 percent of the vote, beating independent candidate Rodolfo Hernandez.

A former mayor of Bogota, Petro earned 11.2 million votes, the most ever gathered by a single presidential candidate in the country. Roughly 21.6 million people out of the eligible 39 million cast votes in the presidential runoff.

"Without a doubt, what happened here today with these 11 million men and women that voted and brought us to this stage and to the government of Colombia is a change," Petro said in his victory speech at the Movistar Arena.

"This is not a change for revenge. It is not a change to build more hatred. It is not a change to deepen the partisanship of Colombian society. The change means leaving hatred behind us," he said.

Congratulatory message

Outgoing conservative President Ivan Duque congratulated Petro shortly after the results were announced. Colombian presidents are limited to one term.

It was the third time Petro, a 62-year-old economist, ran for president. Currently a senator, he was the mayor of Bogota from 2012 to 2015. He will take office as president on Aug 7.

Vowing deep social and economic change, Petro has called for making university education free in the country, promised economic reform, and proposed a ban on new oil projects, among other planned initiatives.

His supporters celebrated in many of the country's big cities.

The writer is a freelance journalist for China Daily.