Gustavo Petro facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
His Excellency
Gustavo Petro
ODB ODSC OYC
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Official portrait, 2022
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| 35th President of Colombia | |
| Assumed office 7 August 2022 |
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| Vice President | Francia Márquez |
| Preceded by | Iván Duque |
| Senator of Colombia | |
| In office 20 July 2018 – 20 July 2022 |
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| In office 20 July 2006 – 20 July 2010 |
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| Mayor of Bogotá | |
| In office 23 April 2014 – 31 December 2015 |
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| Preceded by | María Mercedes Maldonado (acting) |
| Succeeded by | Enrique Peñalosa |
| In office 1 January 2012 – 19 March 2014 |
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| Preceded by | Clara López (acting) |
| Succeeded by | Rafael Pardo (acting) |
| Member of the Chamber of Representatives |
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| In office 20 July 1998 – 20 July 2006 |
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| Constituency | Capital District |
| In office 1 December 1991 – 20 July 1994 |
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| Constituency | Cundinamarca |
| President pro tempore of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States | |
| Assumed office 9 April 2025 |
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| Preceded by | Xiomara Castro |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Gustavo Francisco Petro Urrego
19 April 1960 Ciénaga de Oro, Córdoba, Colombia |
| Citizenship |
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| Political party | Humane Colombia (2011–present) |
| Other political affiliations |
M-19 Democratic Alliance (1990–1997) Alternative Way (1998–2002) Regional Integration Movement (2002–2005) Alternative Democratic Pole (2005–2010) Historic Pact for Colombia (2011–present) |
| Spouses |
Katia Burgos
(m. 1986; div. 1992)Mary Luz Herrán
(m. 1992; div. 2000)Verónica Alcocer
(m. 2000) |
| Children | 6, including Nicolás and Sofía |
| Alma mater | Externado University of Colombia (A.B.) |
| Signature |  |
Gustavo Francisco Petro Urrego (born 19 April 1960) is a Colombian politician and economist. He has been the 35th president of Colombia since 2022. When he took office, he became the first left-wing president in Colombia's recent history. A left-wing point of view often supports social equality and government help for citizens.
When he was 17, Petro joined a guerrilla group called the 19th of April Movement (M-19). A guerrilla group is an armed group that fights against the government. Later, the M-19 became a political party. In 1985, Petro was arrested for his connection to the M-19. After a peace agreement was made, he was released.
He was later elected to the Chamber of Representatives and then the Senate. In 2011, he was elected mayor of Bogotá, a position he held until 2015. After running for president and losing in 2018, he won the 2022 Colombian presidential election.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Gustavo Petro was born on 19 April 1960, in Ciénaga de Oro, Colombia. His family has Colombian and Italian roots, which gives him dual citizenship for both Colombia and Italy. His family moved to the town of Zipaquirá in the 1970s, looking for better opportunities.
Petro studied economics at the Universidad Externado de Colombia. He later continued his studies in economics, human rights, and public administration at universities in Colombia, Belgium, and Spain.
Joining the M-19
When he was about 17, Petro joined the 19th of April Movement (M-19). He believed that being part of this armed group could help change Colombia's political and economic problems. The M-19 was formed in 1974 because many people felt the 1970 election was unfair.
In the M-19, Petro became a leader. He was elected as a town councilman in Zipaquirá from 1984 to 1986. He helped build a new neighborhood for 400 poor families who had been forced from their homes.
In 1985, Petro was arrested by the army for having weapons illegally. He was sent to prison for 18 months. While in prison, he began to change his mind. He decided that fighting with weapons was not the best way to get public support. In 1987, the M-19 started peace talks with the government.
Political Career
After the M-19 group stopped fighting and became a political party, Petro was elected to Colombia's Chamber of Representatives in 1991. This was the start of his long career in government.
Member of Congress
In 2002, Petro was elected again to the Chamber of Representatives for Bogotá. He was part of a political movement he started called Vía Alterna. In 2006, he was chosen as the "Best Congressman" by other representatives.
In 2006, Petro was elected to the Senate. He received the second-highest number of votes in the country. During this time, he spoke out about a big scandal called "parapolitics." He accused some government officials of working with illegal armed groups.
Disagreements with President Uribe's Government
As a senator, Petro strongly disagreed with the government of President Álvaro Uribe. He accused the president's 2002 campaign of taking money from people connected to illegal armed groups.
In 2007, Petro gave a long speech in Congress. He showed documents that he said proved connections between the military, politicians, and illegal groups. The government denied his claims and criticized his past as a guerrilla member.
Mayor of Bogotá (2012–2015)
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In 2011, Petro was elected mayor of Bogotá, Colombia's capital city. He took office on 1 January 2012. He was the first former guerrilla member to lead such an important city in Colombia.
His goals as mayor included:
- Fighting poverty and helping the poorest citizens.
- Protecting the environment and fighting climate change.
- Giving citizens more say in government decisions.
During his time as mayor, the number of murders in the city went down. This was partly because of a new rule that banned people from carrying firearms. He also created programs to help women and the LGBTI community. His social policies helped reduce poverty and infant mortality in the city.
Petro also worked on environmental projects. He wanted to protect Bogotá's wetlands and planned to plant over 200,000 trees. He also stopped bullfighting in the city's main bullring, although a court later overturned this decision.
Attempt to Remove Him from Office
While he was mayor, his opponents started a process to remove him from office, known as a recall. In 2013, the Inspector General of Colombia removed him from his position. The reason given was that he had made mistakes with the city's waste collection system.
Many people protested this decision, saying it was unfair and political. An international human rights group stepped in to support Petro. After a few months, a court ordered that he be allowed to return to his job. He was reinstated as mayor on 23 April 2014, and finished his term.
Presidential Campaigns
Petro ran for president three times. His first attempt was in the 2010 Colombian presidential election, where he finished in fourth place.
2018 Election
In 2018, Petro ran for president again. He made it to the second round of voting but lost to Iván Duque. In the second round, two candidates with the most votes face each other. After the election, Petro became a senator, as Colombian law gives the second-place finisher a seat in the Senate.
His campaign focused on ideas like:
- Universal health care for everyone.
- Investing in clean energy instead of mining and oil.
- Land reform to help poor farmers.
2022 Election
In 2021, Petro announced he would run for president one more time. His campaign platform included promoting green energy, reducing the gap between rich and poor, and raising taxes on the wealthiest Colombians. His running mate was Francia Márquez, an Afro-Colombian human rights and environmental activist.
His main proposals were:
- An agrarian reform to make more land available for farming.
- Stopping all new oil exploration to move away from fossil fuels.
- Investing in public education and building more railways.
- Restoring diplomatic relations with Venezuela.
Petro won the first round of the election on 29 May 2022, but he did not get enough votes to win outright. He faced businessman Rodolfo Hernández Suárez in the second round on 19 June. Petro won the election with over 50% of the vote, becoming the new president of Colombia.
Presidency (2022–present)
Gustavo Petro was sworn in as president on 7 August 2022. After his election, he worked to build a coalition in Congress with different political parties to help pass his new laws.
One of his first successes was getting the Senate to approve the Escazú Agreement, an important treaty to protect the environment in Latin America. He also appointed a new military command to improve respect for human rights. His government also re-established diplomatic relations with Venezuela after a three-year break.
Government Policies
Agrarian Reform
Petro's government started an agrarian reform program. The goal is to give land to poor farming families. In Colombia, a small number of landowners own most of the farmable land. The government reached an agreement with the Federation of Ranchers to buy three million hectares of land to give to farmers.
Environmental Issues
Petro has spoken strongly about the need to fight climate change. He has called the global "war on drugs" a failure and has criticized wealthy countries for not doing enough to protect the Amazon rainforest.
Under his government, deforestation in the Colombian Amazon dropped by 70% in the first nine months of 2023. This was partly due to policies that pay local people to help conserve the forest.
Public Approval and Protests
Petro started his presidency with a 48% approval rating. By early 2023, more people disapproved of his performance than approved. In June 2023, his approval rating was 33%, while 61% disapproved. By December, his disapproval had risen to 66%.
There were several reasons for this drop in support. Some of his major reforms stalled in Congress. There were also protests against his government's plans. A scandal involving some of his top staff members also hurt his credibility.
Foreign Affairs
Petro's government has focused on improving relationships with other countries in Latin America. He has restored ties with Venezuela and has met with leaders from Brazil, Mexico, and Spain.
In January 2025, there was a dispute with the United States. Petro's government refused to let U.S. military planes land with deported Colombian citizens. After a period of tension, the two countries reached an agreement. Colombia agreed to send its own planes to bring the migrants back.
Personal Life
Petro has been married three times and has six children. He met his current wife, Verónica Alcocer, in the late 1990s. They married in 2000 and have two daughters, Sofía and Antonella. Petro also adopted Alcocer's son from a previous relationship. He has three other children from his earlier marriages.
Awards and Honors
- 2006: Named Best Representative by the Chamber of Representatives.
- 2007: Received the Letelier-Moffitt Human Rights Award from the Institute for Policy Studies.
- 2013: Received the City Climate Leadership Award for his work as mayor of Bogotá.
- 2023: Received the Grand Collar of the Order of Isabella the Catholic from Spain.
- 2024: Received the Grand Collar of the Order of the State of Palestine.
See also
In Spanish: Gustavo Petro para niños
