Gustavo Petro won the presidential election in Colombia on Sunday with over 50% of the vote in a runoff, defeating construction magnate Rodolfo Hernandez, who has conceded. He will become the first left-wing leader in the nation’s history.
“Today is a day of celebration for the people. Let them celebrate the first popular victory,” Petro wrote on Twitter shortly after the results were finalized. He later took the stage in the capital and thanked his supporters.
“This story that we are writing today is a new story for Colombia, for Latin America, for the world. We are not going to betray this electorate,” he said.