The left-wing candidates of the Pacto Histórico coalition ticket in Colombia celebrate a win / credit: Evo Morales / Twitter

Celebrations in Colombia’s Streets: Gustavo Petro to Be First Left-Wing President and Francia Márquez the First Afro-Descendant Woman VP

Celebrations took place Sunday evening as people took to the streets of Colombia after left-wing presidential candidate Gustavo Petro was deemed the winner of the second-round election. This victory makes his running mate, Francia Márquez, the first Afro-descendant woman who will serve as vice president once the term begins in August, reports TF editor Julie Varughese.

Clara Ines Yalanda, 36, in front of the house in an informal settlement in Popayan, Colombia, where she lives with her 4-year-old daughter, Valentina. Fifteen people live in the house, including Ines's parents, her brothers and sisters, and their children / credit: Antonio Acascio

What Petro & Hernández Offer Colombia’s Urban Poor As They Head Off in the Second-Round Presidential Election

Sunday’s second-round presidential election in Colombia could transform the lives of residents in informal settlements, which make up 65 percent of housing in the country's cities. Former-militant-turned-politician Gustavo Petro and millionaire businessman Rodolfo Hernández approach the country's urban housing crisis and environmental policy in different ways, reports Natalia Torres Garzon with photography by Antonio Cascio.

How the 2021 national strike looked in Buenaventura, Colombia / credit: Black Agenda Report

Threats and Voter Intimidation Hush Colombians In Run-Up to Second-Round Presidential Election Season

Observers of the first-round presidential elections in Colombia shared with Toward Freedom irregularities they encountered in Buenaventura, a predominantly Afro-descendant city on the Pacific coast. This comes as it appears a left-wing candidate who faces death threats is surging in a recent poll against his social-media-savvy competitor, reports TF Editor Julie Varughese.