Add Colombia to the freedom revolution going on in Central and South America – thanks to election results this weekend.
When seven countries in a single region swing politically to the right in the space of 18 months, we’d call that a Trump Trend.
Javier Milei, who paved the way with this November 2023 victory in Argentina and his subsequent free-market reforms, calls what has happened since “the biggest repudiation of socialism that Latin America has ever seen.”
The latest conservative victories came this month when Peru (population 35 million) and Colombia (population 54 million) replaced left-wing presidents with conservative ones. In Peru, Keiko Fujimori, a 51-year-old conservative who campaigned on developing her nation’s mineral rights and opening up the economy, has just won a narrow runoff victory by 41,000 votes.
In Colombia, businessman Abelardo De La Esprella won Sunday’s runoff against leftist Ivan Cepeda. A protege of Colombia’s current left-wing President Gustavo Petro, Cepeda called for more power to public sector unions, a moratorium on new oil projects, and peace talks with armed rebel groups.
De La Espriella has said that he seeks to slash government spending by 40%, close nine ministries, fire 700,000 state workers, restore economic freedom for fossil-fuel producers, and cut taxes.
Freedom Keeps Coming to the Americas
2023 Argentina
2025 Ecuador
2025 Bolivia
2025 Honduras
2025 Chile
2026 Costa Rica
2026 Peru
2026 Columbia
More Latin Americans now identify with the right than at any time over the last two decades, according to polling firm Latinobarómetro. Brazil may be the next left-wing domino to fall in South America, if 80-year-old president Luiz Lula da Silva loses his re-election bid in October.
