It was a day that few people saw coming: An unfiltered businessman behind in the polls emerged as a strong contender to fill the highest position in the country’s government.
No, this was not Donald Trump, but someone who similarly hopes to disturb the current political establishment in his country.
The man is Rodolfo Hernández, who placed second in Colombia’s presidential election May 29 and will face arch-leftist Gustavo Petro in the runoff June 19.
With a platform of fighting corruption, Hernández shocked Colombia last month by drawing 28% of the vote, relegating center-right “establishment” candidate Federico “Fico” Gutiérrez to third place.
“We have done a historic campaign,” Hernández said on the night of the first round of voting, “It has been the Colombian people who have been at the forefront of this democratic epic. We have achieved a historic result, a result that has shaken the foundations of corrupt power of all past governments.”
A tall order, but something that the multimillionaire businessman and civil engineer trumpeted vigorously. Unlike traditional politicians who attend debates and host rallies to connect with voters, Hernández, 77, specializes in social media, specifically TikTok, where he boasts more than 500,000 followers and 4.6 million likes.
The former mayor of Bucaramanga (a city located in north-central Colombia) promotes his populist platform on TikTok, and other social media pages, through engaging and sometimes comical posts.
In one video, the former mayor’s head is cropped onto the cartoon character Mario. “Mario,” in the Super Mario Bros. game, proceeds to jump on his opponents. Gaining the coveted victory, Hernández is shown next to a 17%+ favorability.
According to his campaign website and social-media posts, Hernández supports low-cost housing for all Colombians and reforming the justice system by placing prisoners within a city to create a smooth transition from prison to liberty. In addition, the independent candidate published a lengthy document outlining his beliefs and ideas for Colombia.
Like many candidates, Hernández must confront some embarrassing moments from the past. Hernández was caught in the crossfire when he acknowledged that he admired Hitler, according to El País. Later, he detailed that he meant Einstein and not the infamous Nazi leader.
Bloomberg reported that Hernández was entangled in numerous other scandals. In 2018, Hernández slapped an opponent. Another time, he attempted to influence voters on who his successor should be. Both incidents led to Hernandez’s resignation as mayor.
Most recently, Reuters detailed how Hernández was being investigated for working to secure the winning bid for a waste disposal project for a company at which his son formerly lobbied. This work was done while Hernández was still mayor.
Opponent Petro is not a stranger to scandals. NBC detailed how as a former community organizer for the M-16 guerrilla group, Petro was jailed. After being released, he emerged as a political figure, making a peace deal with the Colombian government.
The leftist also contributed to a newly drafted constitution in the 1990s. Petro has been involved in politics since, as a congressman starting in 2006, a mayor of Bogota from 2011 to 2015, and as a twice failed presidential candidate.
Hernández’s family also dealt with numerous tragedies. The so-called TikTok King’s father was held captive by the FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-People’s Army) guerrillas. In 2004, his daughter was seized by the National Liberation Army (ELN).
Despite these accounts, Hernández’s government plan, on his campaign website, reveals that he plans on including the FARC and ELN in his proposed peace agreement.
Former President Trump and Hernández are not identical, but their stories and beliefs have parallels.
Trump, a billionaire businessman, decided to enter the 2016 presidential election. Using Twitter as his primary communication method, he changed the narrative of what it means to run for office. Involved in a few scandals himself, Trump was no stranger to heated rhetoric and constant media attention. With a clear message of ending the status quo in government, he famously descended the escalator.
It will all be revealed on June 19, when the world will see if Hernández gets his “Trump moment.”
via newsmax