Colombia’s capital city has elected its first lesbian mayor.
Claudia Lopez won the race for mayor of Bogota on a platform promising to combat corruption and advance equal rights for minority communities.
The Alianza Verde candidate captured over 1.1 million votes, or about 35% of the vote, defeating runner-up Carlos Galan by 2.7%.
“This is the day of the woman,” she said to a jubilant crowd. “We knew that only by uniting could we win. We did that. We united, we won and we made history!”
She vowed to continue uniting Colombians across the political spectrum and work to improve daily life issues like public transportation.
Many in the LGBT community praised Ms Lopez’s victory as an important step forward in a country where gay and lesbians still confront harassment.
Blanca Duran, a former city politician, told the El Espectador newspaper that with Ms Lopez’s win, Bogota is “setting an example for the country”.
“It is showing that it is a city with respect, with diversity, in which we can advance rights,” she said.
Centrist and progressive party candidates won several important posts in Colombia’s local elections, the first since the signing of an historic peace accord with leftist rebels.
Conservative former president Alvaro Uribe acknowledged his party’s setback, stating on Twitter: “I recognise the defeat with humility.”
