Skip to main content
Petro under siege as progress creeps forward
Colombia’s first left-leaning government has faced subversion from the murderous right-wing elite it deposed, but it has not stopped moving forward with the peace process and social reforms needed, writes NICK MacWILLIAM
8colombia copy

AS THE head of the first progressive government in Colombian history and following a 30-year political career challenging the right-wing oligarchy, Gustavo Petro was aware of the intense opposition his administration would encounter upon taking office in August 2022.

It has proven as much. A strong opposition block in congress formed of traditional elites, conservatives and the far right has fought tooth and nail to block Petro’s coalition, the Historic Pact, from enacting an ambitious agenda that seeks to redistribute wealth and build peace in a country where inequality and armed conflict remain daily realities in many communities.

With land and economic resources concentrated among a privileged minority, successive neoliberal governments implemented free-market reforms that sank millions into severe economic hardship.

Support the Morning Star
You have reached the free limit.
Subscribe to continue reading.
Liberation webinar, 30 November2024, 6pm (UK)
More from this author
lula+petro
Features / 9 February 2024
9 February 2024
Democracy is under threat following a series of disruptive actions that Gustavo Petro's government has attributed to attempts by state institutions to undermine its progressive agenda or even remove it from office, writes NICK MACWILLIAM
mine
Features / 27 January 2024
27 January 2024
Right-wing forces continuously obstruct the progressive agenda of Gustavo Petro's government, writes NICK MacWILLIAM
RIGHT-WING DEATH SQUADS: Members of the ACCU, a component gr
Features / 19 May 2023
19 May 2023
A former leader of the clandestine anti-leftist forces that were responsible for thousands of murders is revealing the extent of the support his side received from the government, reports NICK MACWILLIAM
Former rebel Gustavo Petro, left, his wife Veronica Alcocer,
Features / 20 June 2022
20 June 2022
NICK MACWILLIAM of Justice for Colombia on the huge challenges facing the country's first ever left government
Similar stories
People hold posters in support of Colombia's President Gusta
Labour Conference 2024 / 25 September 2024
25 September 2024
Indigenous people gather for a press conference at the end o
Features / 3 September 2024
3 September 2024
MICAELA TRACEY-RAMOS reports back from a trade union delegation to Colombia, on the difficulties facing the Petro government in maintaining the peace agenda, and how the business-oriented opposition obstructs pro-worker reforms passing into law