Colombia and the first presidential round of 2022: between polarization, populism and change

Abstract

The results of the first presidential round in Colombia confirm a scenario of change that has not yet been resolved: a rejection of the dominant traditional political class in recent years, while in the midst of high polarization a strong discursive approach to populism is consolidated. Likewise, the two winning candidates, the leftist Gustavo Petro and the outsider Rodolfo Hernández, fight from different campaign strategies, the first still based on real contact with the voter and a careful ideological specification, in the face of the primacy of the volatility of ideas, the simplicity of uses and digital strategies of a light nature on the part of the second. A challenging agenda prevails to solve the economic, social and security problems that threaten the country.