Photo taken from: El Colombiano
In December 2013, we learned of the close relationship between Gustavo Petro and Jean Luc Mélenchon. At the time, Petro was mayor of Bogotá and had become involved in a dispute with Attorney General Alejandro Ordoñez that would end with his dismissal. From France, Mélenchon, leader of the French left, issued a statement: “Like all true friends of Colombia, we do not want to interfere in the institutional and legal mechanisms of your country. The distance naturally encourages us to be respectful and prudent. But there are also many of us who wish to convey our deep concern to you!”
Recognizing in his letter that Colombia is an example of the struggle for the precepts of the French Revolution, he openly criticized Ordoñez’s radicalized position. Since then, both politicians, despite the distance, have maintained a strong relationship. A month following winning the elections, Mélenchon visited Colombia. At 73 years old, he has been a deputy, since 2017, in the National Assembly representing the France Insoumise party. In the 2017 presidential elections he achieved fourth place in those elections with 19.58%. In 2022 he tried once more and got 21.95% of the votes. He is the son of French parents settled in Algeria. He has taken on the issue of migration as his own. He is a philosopher and on July 7 he achieved his greatest political victory. Against all odds, the New Popular Front Left Coalition won a victory in the second round of the parliamentary elections. He has been criticized for his position of support for the government of Nicolás Maduro.
The friendship was made clear on July 26, 2022, when he arrived in Bogotá. At that time, he even took photos with Armando Benedetti, who was the shadow of the current president in that presidential campaign. Mélenchon said regarding Petro that he was “the most advanced in thinking” compared to other national politicians. There were ideas of Petro that seduced him, such as his position on climate change as a source of innovation, of investment. He even had some measured words with Armando Benedetti. About him, he said during that visit that he is a progressive who works for the defense of workers’ rights and the redistribution of wealth. It is not known if, following the scandals that Benedetti has been involved in, Mélenchon still believes the same. During that same visit, he met with Francia Márquez, vice president, whom the candidate knew for her environmental struggle. From the meeting it was concluded that France and Colombia had problems in common, especially regarding the environment.
Once the results were known in France, President Petro declared “The Nazis are retreating, humanity has a new opportunity” referring to the defeat of the French right, led by Marine Le Pen, the leader of the National Rally, who had won in the first round. Le Pen was relegated to third place. Her position once morest immigration has led to her and her movement being branded as racist.
