Leading presidential candidate Gustavo Petro announced Wednesday that the Black environmentalist lawyer Francia Márquez will serve as his running mate in May’s presidential elections. Márquez is the first Black woman to run in presidential elections in Colombia’s history.

Regardless of electoral results, the political landscape in Colombia has been altered, hopefully forever, by the mere presence of 40-year-old Afro-Colombian environmental activist, Francia Márquez.

“This unfortunate situation we had to go through has been one of many situations that leaders in the country have to deal with.”

A roundup of the week’s top Latino news from around the world, written by Latino Rebels senior editor Hector Luis Alamo.

Colombia’s first left-wing president and its first Black woman vice-president were sworn in, representing a landmark change of course in leadership. Latino Rebels attended the inauguration and spoke with the people about their hopes for the new administration.

The Bogotá-born musician sits with Latino Rebels in New York to discuss Bomba Estéreo’s hit collaboration with Puerto Rican reggaetonero Bad Bunny, “Ojitos Lindos,” Colombian music, and the duende myth that features in the group’s new film.

The outcome of Colombia’s 2022 presidential election came from a very unorthodox place, with each of the final two contenders distancing himself from warmongers on all sides of the political spectrum.

Latino Rebels Radio: June 23, 2022

BOGOTÁ, Colombia (AP) — As Colombia’s voters put aside a longtime antipathy to leftists and chose one as their new president, they also carved out another milestone—electing the country’s first Black vice president.

BOGOTÁ, Colombia — The final round of Colombia’s presidential election is scheduled for Sunday, June 19 and the clear winner is still difficult to determine. The latest polls predict a statistical tie between two candidates who embody different ideologies but still promise change.

On Sunday, May 29, Gustavo Petro plants to make history in Colombia. For the first time in the country’s 200-year history, a left-wing contender —and a former guerrilla member to boot— is the favorite to win a presidential election this close to the vote.

Data from Temblores ONG, an organization that has been receiving reports directly from citizens, says that as of May 5, 37 people have died due to police violence.

Despite the official ceasefire peace agreement signed by the government and FARC leaders in 2016 after 50 years of civil war, criminal armed groups have re-ignited the violence in areas previously occupied by FARC.

Corruption became the key issue of this electoral race following Panama’s recent history with high-profile graft cases.

A single mother of two, Francia Márquez Mina led a successful fight to reverse a multinational gold mining concession that would have forced the relocation of her home town of La Toma.