Gustavo Petro's victory in Colombia further isolates Jair Bolsonaro in Latin America.
If only the closest neighbors are considered, 8 of the 12 countries in South America are now governed by left-wing leaders, a different scenario from the one that the Brazilian president found when he became President in 2019.
The ex-guerrilla's victory in Colombia strengthens the movement that has been called pink tide 2.0, a reference to the cycle of progressive governments that took over Latin America in the early 2000s and is now being renewed.
The turn to the left was consolidated in December 2021 with the victory of Gabriel Boric, in Chile, preceded by the triumphs of Alberto Fernández, in Argentina, and Luis Arce, in Bolivia.
The other South American countries led by leftist presidents are Peru (Pedro Castillo), Suriname (Chan Santokhi) and Guyana (Irfaan Ali), in addition to Venezuela, a dictatorship led by Nicolás Maduro.
In addition to Brazil, three countries in South America chose names identified with the right: Ecuador, Uruguay and Paraguay.
Translated by Kiratiana Freelon