On August 7, 1819, the Colombian army led by Simón Bolívar defeated Spanish troops in the Battle of Boyacá, consolidating the country’s independence from Spain. Just over two centuries later, thousands of Colombians have celebrated in the streets what is hoped to be a “second liberation,” now from neoliberalism, via the ascension of the first left-wing president in the country’s history, Gustavo Petro, together with his vice president, Francia Márquez, to power. A former guerrillero and an Afro-Colombian activist now hold the highest political positions in the country, a turning point in Colombian political history and a key moment for the whole of Latin America.

For the 11 million people who voted for Petro and Francia, as they are widely known, Sunday was a day to celebrate the historic victory of the Left, preceded by mass social protests in 2019 and 2021 against the neoliberal and conservative government of Iván Duque, the political heir of former president Álvaro Uribe.

But Petro and Francia will not have much time to celebrate. Huge challenges await them.