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A6 WORLD NEWS
Monday 30 May 2022
Colombians choose a new president amid general discontent

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) sion of subsidies and pub-
— Colombians emerging lic-private alliances so that
from the coronavirus pan- food that otherwise goes
demic were voting for their to waste is destined for the
next president Sunday, poorest. A Gallup poll con-
choosing from six candi- ducted earlier this month
dates who promise various showed that 75% of Colom-
degrees of change amid bians believe the country
rising inequality, inflation, is heading in the wrong di-
violence and a discontent rection and only 27% ap-
with the status quo. prove of Duque. A poll last
Former rebel Gustavo Pet- year by Gallup found 60%
ro, who has been leading of those questioned were
in polls , could become finding it hard to get by on
Colombia’s first leftist presi- their income.
dent. But those polls also The coronavirus pandemic
show him falling short of set back the country’s anti-
the 50% of votes needed poverty efforts by at least
to win in the first round and a decade. Official figures
avoid a runoff against the showed that 39% of Colom-
second-place finisher. bia’s 51.6 million residents
Behind him are a populist lived on less than $89 a
real estate tycoon promis- Gustavo Petro, presidential candidate with the Historical Pact coalition, leaves a polling station month last year, which has
ing monetary rewards for after voting during presidential elections in Bogota, Colombia, Sunday, May 29, 2022. (AP Photo/ a slight improvement from
tips on corrupt officials and Leonardo Munoz) the 42.5% rate from 2020.
a right-wing candidate Meanwhile, the country’s
who has tried to distance the economic situation. ters like poverty and cor- amnesty after being jailed inflation reached its highest
himself from the widely dis- Chile, Peru and Honduras ruption garnered more at- for his involvement with the levels in two decades last
liked conservative current elected leftist presidents in tention. group. month. Duque’s administra-
president, Iván Duque. 2021, and in Brazil, Luiz Iná- It is Petro’s third attempt He has promised to make tion has justified April’s 9.2%
“The main problem in the cio Lula da Silva is leading to be the South America’s significant adjustments rate for April by saying it is
country is the inequality of the polls for this year’s presi- country president. He to the economy, includ- part of a global inflation-
conditions, the work is not dential election. Mexico was defeated in 2018 by ing a tax reform, as well as ary phenomenon, but the
well paid,” said Jenny Bel- elected a leftist president Duque, who is not eligible changes to how Colombia argument has not tamed
lo, 32, who sold coffee near in 2018. for reelection. fights drug cartels and oth- discontent over increasing
a long line of voters under This is the second presiden- His victory would usher in a er armed groups. His main food prices.
a typical cloudy sky in the tial election in Colombia — new political era in a coun- rival for most of the cam- “The vote serves to change
capital of Bogotá. She had Latin America’s third most try that has always been paign has been Federico the country and I think that
to resort to informal sales populous country — since governed by conservatives Gutiérrez, a former mayor this responsibility falls a lot
after months without work the government signed a or moderates while margin- of Medellin who is backed on young people who want
because of the pandemic. peace agreement with alizing the left due to its per- by most of Colombia’s tra- to reach standards that al-
A Petro win would add to a the Revolutionary Armed ceived association with the ditional parties and ran on low us to have a decent
series of leftist political vic- Forces of Colombia, known nation’s armed conflict. He a pro-business, economic life,” Juan David González,
tories in Latin America as as FARC. But the divisive was once a rebel with the growth platform. 28, said after voting for the
people seek change at a agreement was not a cen- now-defunct M-19 move- Gutiérrez has promised to second time in a presiden-
time of dissatisfaction with tral campaign issue as mat- ment and was granted fight hunger with the exten- tial election.q

UN human rights chief asks China to rethink Uyghur policies

Saturday that she raised “It provides an opportu- has vehemently denied
concerns with Chinese of- nity for me to better under- all reports of human rights
ficials about the impact of stand the situation in China, violations and genocide in
the broad application of but also for the authorities Xinjiang, showed no sign of
counterterrorism and de- in China to better under- being open to change in a
radicalization measures on stand our concerns and to government statement on
the rights of Uyghurs and potentially rethink policies the trip.
other predominantly Mus- that we believe may im- The statement, attributed
lim groups in pact negatively on human to Vice Foreign Minister Ma
Michelle Bachelet, who rights,” she said in a video Zhaoxu, accused some
visited the northwestern re- news conference before Western countries and anti-
gion as part of a six-day trip leaving the country. China elements of fabricat-
to China, said the visit was Bachelet’s measured ing sensational lies about
not an investigation but a words, while expected, did Xinjiang under the guise of
chance to have direct talks not satisfy activists and likely human rights. It said that
In this image made from online video, United Nations High Com- with senior Chinese leaders will not sit well with govern- the government had ad-
missioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet speaks during
an online press conference in Guangzhou in southern China's and pave the way for more ments such as the United opted lawful measures to
Guangdong Province, Saturday, May 28, 2022. (United Nations regular interactions to sup- States, which have been combat violent terrorism
High Commissioner for Human Rights via AP) port China in fulfilling its ob- critical of her decision to and brought security, sta-
ligations under internation- visit Xinjiang. China’s ruling bility and prosperity to the
BEIJING (AP) — The top U.N. human rights official said al human rights law. Communist Party, which region in China’s northwest.