Political Division: The Colombian Presidential Election

No matter where you live, presidential elections are among the most talked-about and transformative events for any nation. Last year, the United States witnessed a deeply divided election, similar to what Colombia experienced in 2022. In both countries, opposing sides competed fiercely for the presidency, revealing the extent of internal polarization within their societies. This growing division, fueled by propaganda and misinformation, has become a defining feature of modern politics around the world. Before examining Colombia’s current political landscape, it is essential to understand the roots of polarization and how political parties influence citizens’ perspectives.

The Factors Behind a Political Division/Polarization

It is important to understand that not everyone has the same ideas, nor do we have the same opinions. Because human nature allows us to have this variety in thoughts, division fostered by differentiating opinions is often common. However, this division is more severe when the current and potential well-being of a country is at stake, as two people fight to persuade that their plan is vital for the improvement of the country. This causes political polarization to occur.

So, what exactly does political polarization mean? Political polarization is the divergence of political opinions on a topic that moves away from the center and goes closer to an ideological extreme. Think of polarization as a linear spectrum. On both ends, there are opposite opinions on a certain topic while the middle shows more of a compromise.

We often associate this spectrum with the political parties and their ideologies. However, as a society becomes more polarized, so does the way politics and ideologies are viewed. Thomas Carothers and Andrew O’Donohue highlight what happens to democracies when polarization intensifies: “Severe polarization damages all institutions essential to democracy. It routinely undermines the independence of the judiciary, […] it reduces legislatures either to gridlock or to a rubber stamp function. […] It frequently leads to the abuse of executive powers and promotes the toxic view that the president represents only his or her supporters, rather than the country as a whole” (Carothers and O’Donohue). As a country becomes more polarized the division gets bigger making it harder for bills, resolutions, treaties, etc. to pass or find a compromise. Seeing as polarization affects the political institutions behind the government, it also changes the ways citizens view and interact with each other. This is where propaganda starts to come into play.

Propaganda is a common tool used in politics. In society, we often hear different slogans, memes, videos, etc. that are used to persuade others through misinformation and campaigning strategies. James Hoggan writes an article in How Propaganda Works to Divide Us. In his article, he explains how propaganda works through deception and which often contributes to the overall increase in polarization throughout the country: “Political propaganda employs the ideals of liberal democracy to undermine those very ideals, the dangers of which not even its architects fully understand” (Hoggan). As polarization increases so does the use of political propaganda creating hatred between citizens. It is important to understand that polarization prevents political deliberation. Instead, it has been shown to cause gridlock as ideologies move from the center to more extreme sides. In a system that was created to cause political parties by using electoral systems that prevent the outcome of a different party, some type of polarization is bound to happen. However, polarization has increasingly become a global phenomenon instead of a national one.

The 2022 Colombian Presidential Election

To understand the importance of polarization and how it divides a country using propaganda, let’s look closer at the recent presidential election held in Colombia. On June 19, 2022, Gustavo Petro became the first leftist to win a presidential election in Colombia’s modern history. With the highest turnout rate since the 1994 elections, Colombians of all backgrounds voted even on a holiday weekend. This surprising election left many happy while others were disappointed. While many might see this election as a historical one as Colombia also elected their first black woman as vice president, it is important to view the many complications that will arise as Petro takes control of his presidential power.

Sergio Guzmán mentions several takeaways concerning this presidential election however, the now divided Colombian government will present problems of polarization and gridlock as Petro begins working on his vision plan that he used to win the election: “As president, Petro will have a tough job negotiating with the Liberal Party and U Party in the Senate, who hold sway over decision-making in the upper house” (Guzmán). A divided government brings up problems with the effectiveness of government and oftentimes makes the problems with polarization, gridlock, and compromise more serious as the government tries to pass laws.

Aside from the work that President Petro must do in the next four years to avoid or limit the effects of the several obstacles that have been presented, this election has been pivotal to the political state that Colombia will now go through. While it is impossible to know the future of Colombia and whether this change is what the country needs, it is important to know that activism does not stop there. Colombians all over the world are still working on showing up to the political discussions that do not stop whether their preferred candidate won or not. It has only been a couple of days since the elections but these couple of days are important to show the rest of the world that the fight does not stop at a single election. It continues through conversations, debates, and respecting each other despite the differentiating opinions.

Source: TIME

What You Can Do to Help

This Colombian presidential election will not be the first or last where political division, propaganda, and polarization are prominent. The first step is to always read about every potential candidate. It is easy to be influenced by the internet as many people use it as a place to spread their personal opinions, however, doing your research is always smart. While the Colombian Presidential Elections are over, it is still important to fully understand what Gustavo Petro’s policies are and why he was elected. Just because a person is elected, does not mean that they must not be held accountable, so by informing yourself, you are better able to speak on the subject as well as hold any political figure accountable for their actions.

The link below provides information on the political background that Petro Gustavo ran on and gives more information:

• https://gustavopetro.co/

This link provides information on the opposing candidate, Rodolfo Hernandez, that lost against Gustavo Petro:

• https://www.ingrodolfohernandez.com/

Aside from becoming knowledgeable about candidates, the best way to inform yourself properly is by exploring the political theories that provide a greater understanding of the causes and effects of a divided government, gridlock, polarization, and propaganda. The links below are journals written by political scientists on these different subjects:

• Divided Government: Alesina, Alberto, and Howard Rosenthal. “A Theory of Divided Government.” Econometrica, vol. 64, no. 6, 1996, pp. 1311–41. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/2171833. Accessed 25 Jun. 2022.

• Gridlock and Polarization: Jones, David R. “Party Polarization and Legislative Gridlock.” Political Research Quarterly, vol. 54, no. 1, 2001, pp. 125–41. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/449211. Accessed 25 Jun. 2022.

• Propaganda: Lasswell, Harold D. “The Theory of Political Propaganda.” The American Political Science Review, vol. 21, no. 3, 1927, pp. 627–31. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/1945515. Accessed 25 Jun. 2022.

References

Alesina, Alberto, and Howard Rosenthal. “A Theory of Divided Government.” Econometrica,

vol. 64, no. 6, 1996, pp. 1311–41. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/2171833. Accessed 25 Jun. 2022.

Carothers, T., & O'Donohue, A. (2019, October 1). How to understand the global spread of political polarization. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Retrieved June 25, 2022, from https://carnegieendowment.org/2019/10/01/how-to-understand-global-spread-of-political-polarization-pub-79893

Guzmán, S. (2022, June 21). Key takeaways from Colombia's presidential elections. Global Americans. Retrieved June 25, 2022, from https://theglobalamericans.org/2022/06/key-takeaways-from-colombias-presidential-elections/

Hoggan, J. (2022, June 25). How propaganda works to divide us. The Narwhal. Retrieved June 25, 2022, from https://thenarwhal.ca/how-propaganda-works-divide-us/

Jones, David R. “Party Polarization and Legislative Gridlock.” Political Research Quarterly, vol.

54, no. 1, 2001, pp. 125–41. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/449211. Accessed 25 Jun. 2022.

Lasswell, Harold D. “The Theory of Political Propaganda.” The American Political Science

Review, vol. 21, no. 3, 1927, pp. 627–31. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/1945515.

Accessed 25 Jun. 2022.