World·Nothing is Foreign

Can Colombia's election end the war on drugs?

Colombia’s presidential election is heading to a pivotal runoff with two political outsiders facing off — will the outcome herald an end to cartel-fuelled bloodshed?

Voters face choice between 2 anti-establishment candidates in June 19 runoff

People watch the results in Colombia's presidential election, in Medellin, on Sunday. Gustavo Petro, 62, a former Bogota mayor will go up against Rodolfo Hernandez, a 77-year-old populist outsider, in a runoff election on June 19. (Joaquín Sarmiento/AFP/Getty Images)

Colombia's presidential election is heading to a pivotal runoff between two political outsiders: a former guerilla fighter turned senator who could become the country's first left-wing president, and a 77-year-old right-wing populist TikTok star.

It's a critical time for the country, six years after a historic peace deal that was supposed to end 50 years of civil war.

But instead of promised peace and a new future, Colombians have faced extreme income inequality, resurgent cocaine cartels and new militias taking up arms and causing bloodshed. 

With stark choices and real consequences, where does Colombia go from here?

Featuring:

  • Angelika Rettberg, professor and researcher of armed conflict and peacebuilding at the University of the Andes, in Bogota.
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Nothing is Foreign is a new podcast from CBC News and CBC Podcasts. A weekly trip to where the story is unfolding. Hosted by Tamara Khandaker.